What happens to Sellen? | Elden Ring quest explained
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- Опубликовано: 24 авг 2024
- sorry for the wait! i got a cold shortly after recording this, you can kind of hear my voice get all stuffy as the video goes on haha
Sources:
- All item descriptions and pictures from the Fextralife wiki (eldenring.wiki...)
- Thanks to FP Game Easy for majority of gameplay footage ( • Elden Ring Sorceress S... )
- Sellen location ( • ELDEN RING | Where To ... )
- Sellen dialogue ( • Elden Ring - Meeting S... )
- NPC real faces ( • Elden Ring - The NPCs ... )
- Thorps dialogue ( • Elden Ring Extensive D... )
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Maybe if the sorcerer's of the academy didn't spam their spell so much, I might not have sided with Sellen lol
hahaha god it was insufferable trying to get past them
glintstone machine son.
Infinite mana NPCs are kinda bullshit
No kidding lmao 🤣
You might still want to side with Sellen because imagine all those mages on your side.
I honestly respected Sellen. I genuinely felt like a student to her. I was conflicted with what to do towards the end of her questline. I was her student for so long, and when I discovered why she was exiled it was already too late. I sided with her and felt genuine sorrow with what became of her.
Her words rang true "Be wise when choosing ones master."
I though she was cute and had nice feet
praise the emperor
@@nothanks9503 There are two types of people in this world
@ItsBeans the duality of man
Something magic builds experience, I realized I missed the quest because I thought it was broke and it runes the experience for me sadly it was spoiled later on
She did a lot of horrible things to a lot of other sorcerers in the name of "Studying Sorcery". Those Giant balls of all the sorcerer faces were her experiments. And even the two talismans that depict them that raise sorcery damage are her creations from those horrible experiments. She even tells you that if you help her tot he end that she was going to get rid of everyone at the academy and reinstate *her* way of teaching. Although she meets a grisly end turning herself into one of those ball monsters..or maybe that's what she intended. Either way, she was absolutely an enemy of Ranni, and Ranni must be protected. Iji was a supporter of Jerren too in some way although we get little details of how just that Iji told Jerren about us at the end of the quest. So I believe the promise he made was to Ranni.
I think her transformation is her own doing because you can actually nearly complete her quest without finding Lusat, you can aid her at the academy and defeat Jeren and after she stands in the middle of the room and will occasionally ask you to still try and find Lusat, and until you do she actually stays in the middle of the room and Rennala can actually be found sorta hiding behind the bookshelves so you can still respec but the fact that Sellen does not become a face orb until you find Lusat would seem to suggest that Rennala has nothing to do with it and it's Sellen's own doing.
This is interesting, i guys in my ng+3 I'll not fine Lusat
But stars of ruin tho 😭
Could be due to the Primeval current, it’s possible that humans were never meant to wield or commune with it
I'm late to this, but you can actually find Lusat and get stars of ruin, as long as you don't exhaust the dialogue afterwards with sellen about that you actually found him. You would miss out on his armour, but get the spell and have sellen not be a ball of faces, although imo she deserves that.
That's interesting, I only got her to move to the Academy and do the Jerren fight after I found Azur and Lusat.
Sellen was expelled because she was making the graven masses. You see the end result in the Academy in the crystal room beyond the hallway with page guards. The graven masses were not punishments from the Academy, but rather the result of sorcerers being combined, willing or otherwise, as a part of this graven school. It's why Sellen is considered to have killed so many students, because she was was turning them into those masses
Iunno I don't think she would do it against their will. It could be that's why they exiled her. It was too alluring.
If the current was seen as more important than serving the Carian family it would pose a risk to them. It would be intriguing to fellow sorcerers and they'd willingly go after it, as we've seen all the masters have done. Making it forbidden would consolidate the Carian power and assure their sorcerers were in line.
Given how she treats us that's my thoughts on it. She never threatens us. She respects us as an apprentice. She says "I understand the apprentice doesn't walk the same as the master"
@@awtodor It's fully a mad scientist thing, and she does it to herself at the end of her quest line. The primeval current is outlawed by the Academy because it leads to a path of madness and unthinkable horror. Sorcerers being combined into the seed of a star. Essentially, life comes from stars so the graven school is trying to smash life into a ball to go the opposite way and create a star. There's no example of this working in the game, but there's a lot of balled up sorcerers found around the game.
Sellen is still one of my most admired character. You can see her expunged dialogues about you after acquiring the bloody finger from Varre. She’ll warn you about the malice that might trick you and offer to help you get rid of the finger. If you agree, she’ll speak directly to Varre or might even Mohg himself through the finger like a badass. Basically saying that: “What you messed with is the apprentice of Sellen- the graven witch.”
Of course you may say that she’s trying to not let you fall in others hands in order to make you into balls but I rather think her as a responsible teacher.
That dialogue sounds p cool. Personally bcuz she is so honest and forthcoming with everything is one of the main reasons of why i like her so much and i think most others as well. Also it seems clear that she does seem to at least care about ppl close to her, like you. However at the end of the day with her owns words she would give "anything" and more for that magic knowledge so...
She has the vibe of a nun who’s willing to whack people with meter sticks, defending her students. Kinda like having a stand, lol.
I actually love Sellen's questline. I understood she had it coming, but your video opened my eyes to how unethical she truly was. I also believe she became a graven-mass willingly, since she states time and time again how she would forfeit everything in the pursuit of primeval Glintstone knowledge.
I never thought of Selena joining the graven mass as a punishment instead I thought that this was in fact her end goal to become a seed of the stars that they worship, with time eventually herself along with the others may eventually get for what they wish and become a star joining the primeval current.
It kinda seems like she’s trying to say I’m sorry or something after you talk to her and she’s that graven mass
That's because you're right
Also Iji has dialogue after the Festival says "With the starts of fate set into motion, a certain sorceress is dispossessed of her immortality... Finally, we can be rid of a longstanding Carian weed..."
I wonder did Radahn holded in place the stars just to stop the Graven school? I can't think why he would do something without a good reason
Oh wow I didn't know that about Iji! Damn he really called her a weed.
I agree with you, I definitely think Radhan knew everything that was going on, as someone who studied sorcery.
I mean its still weird to me that she straight up tells you how to make the Stars move again.
Interesting!! Although, I wonder how the state of the stars would affect Sellen's immortality, especially since her so-called "immortality" as we know it, seems to be related to her removing her Primal Glintstone and putting it in a different body, essentially allowing her to live ""forever"" through different bodies. Although it is not explicitly stated, I think it is sort of implied that Sellen has been doing this for *a very long time*, I would assume even before Radahn "held the stars into stasis" and so it wouldn't impact her ability to do so either way. Regardless, it's even more interesting knowing that Sellen doesn't seem to have any issue sharing the fact that putting the stars back into motion would help our Mistress Rani's fate. You'd think she'd keep this for herself if that would also impact her immortality status... As maternal as Sellen oddly is with our character, she would definitely look up for herself and her own interests before Ranni's, so yeah... Hard to believe, I suppose.
Very weird piece of dialogue right there! Makes me wonder if it's a leftover dialogue from cut content pieces or from storybeats that were changed with time, but they forgot to touch back on that specific dialogue or something.
Wait actually, upon further investigation, Sellen does also say : "A star has fallen, and my fortunes waver." when she asks you to take her Primal Glintstone. I never read too much into it at first, I honestly just thought it was a poetic/flourished way of saying she was done for. But maybe we can take her literally? A star *has* fallen (Radahn has been defeated, thus the stars are moving again, affecting the destiny of the people from the Carian descent).
That plus the Carian reed comment makes me realize... Sellen *is* of Carian descent? I don't know if that was known?
It would explain why her fate is finally set into motion once the stars are released. This is why Jerren who was only been keeping her captive in that one jail is now ready to kill her once the stars have fallen. Maybe she really couldn't be killed as long as the stars were held into statis. How interesting...
And it would make sense to refer to her as Carian weed in that regard too. They've been trying to get rid of her for a while, but couldn't until the stars affecting the fate of the Carians would be put back into motion....
Out of all the questlines in the game, Sellen's quest is the one that made me shudder the most.
Same 💕
nah i think the shabriri and dung eater are tied for me
Edwards/Irina's quest very said too.
Seluvis
The end / final state of Sellen's quest proves once more that Death is not the only end, nor the worse.
You can die a Hero like Siegward, or live a monster like Sellen.
Very well put. Also: I LOVE SIEGWARD.
Nha, she probably like that form and you probably wold to if it wold bring you more close to something you want
Everyone is a hero to someone. No one sees themselves as the villian of another's story. Sellen was no hypocrite, she told you point blank that she had dirtied her hands in the pursuit of her ideals. Was she a terrible person? Likely. But so are at least half of the people you end up siding with. What makes her different is that she seemingly knew her course was self-destructive but refused to budge from pursueing it just because she would meet a bad end. She herself was a sacrifice she was willing to make to progress her goals and ideals. So in a strange way I kinda admire her.
I dig your view. I've always figured that everyone has the hero and the villain inside them, revealed occasionally and shifting constantly.
The context and perspective determine the results, which are inherently subjective. Sellen may have achieved everything she wanted, but to us it's a horrifying fate..
@@jacobfreeman5444 I liked Sellen bcuz she was honest and forthcoming about everything so i like her and would wanna help her. However she makes it clear that as she says she would give anything and more of what is needed for the knowledge of that magic stuff. That is where i find an issue. At the end of the day whether she wants to make herself into that grave mass along with other people as long as they also are ok with it, idc. If you on the other side try to do that to people that wouldnt want to thats where my problem lies. So i dont know idc about the fact that she kept doing it even though she knew she was gonna have a bed ending. I also dont put much value into that because if you've seen people that are rly into something or obssesed with it they dont even think about the bad ending and even if they do the obssesion is too strong to stop. So its not like "oh no i will actually have such a bad ending, but my will power and determination is so strong so i wll keep doing it regardless - "wow how brave and admirable." Its more like "wow if i keep doing this i will have a bad ending" - but i want to do it, i rly want it so badly i cant stop regardless, fk it maybe it wont happen if i do it well, etc, etc..
I thought the graven mass in witch's bane was made BY Sellen. And she became one at the end of the quest line on purpose to can the knowledge of the two grandmasters. It reminded me of full metal alchemist iykyk
for real she was my favourite npc in the game, and everything in her quest seemed to go well for her so the ending just came out of nowhere
her datamined face sliders also are probably the best looking you can get in the entire game
I agree, she draws you in and lulls you into a safe sense of security then BAM. ball.
I feel so much for her. I really enjoy her character a lot. 💕💕💕
Only because you didn't believe all the things people said about her.
Unfortunately they may all be true..
When I first did Sellens story all the way through, and I saw that great ball of heads right next to rennala, it gave me a jump scare because I was just turning the camera, completely unaware it was there and then, BAM, there's what I thought was an enemy out of no where. Scared the shit out of me for like a split second.
I was planning on leaving Sellen alone because of her fate but I really needed Azurs glinstone crown to take down Malenia and her shenanigans. Like a mad Titan once said "a small price to pay for salvation". The salvation being my sanity.
Great explanation! When I finished her quest line I just left the place and when I came back to respec I genuinely got scared after seeing that graven mass and her item right next to it. Such a great character
I love that Elden Ring is as much a game about its characters as it is a game about its competing philosophies. Sellen & Ranni's questlines have so much to say about the pursuit of knowledge, while characters like Goldmask & Brother Coryhyn's questlines have much to say about the faith and the pursuit of the divine.
you are now my favorite RUclipsr, keep the good job!
This is such an honour! Thank you!!!
Your doing a brilliant job and your very pretty to
As someone who did a sorcerer build for my first playthrough Sellen was a pretty important NPC for me and was crushed with how she ended up. Now knowing more about her actions and as you said From having a history of basically having NPC stories end with be careful what you wish for, it makes sense.
I would put out there that while she is responsible for the creation of the graven masses and the deaths of who knows how many sorcerers, it could be possible that some were willing participants. We hear the admiration Thops speaks of her with and it's more than possible other held her in the same regard and wished help her further her pursuit of harnessing the primeval current.
Few characters in the game have clean hands and I love that From always plays with shades of grey in their story telling.
Yet another incredible deep dive. It's great actually seeing you talk about these stories and getting to watch you emote in response to these tragic tales. It's a really refreshing addition and adds way more gravitas and emotion to the stories, rather than just info dumps. Keep up the amazing work, I'm excited to see what's next 👏🏻
Aaaa thank you so much!! Really glad you enjoy seeing me get into it haha also gravitas is one of my favourite words! What an honour! I can't wait to make more :)
you are a simp dude
Considering the second part of the Rennala fight is Ranni's doing and that by "coincidence" right after Sellen gets turned,Azur and Lusat's bodies dissapear and Rennala returns to her place.I say Ranni did it to put everyone in their place.Rennala is almost lethargic,no way she did that.And graven mass is a punishment,not a choice for sorcerers.
The Sellen quest line kind of reminds me of the College of Winterhold storyline because iirc there’s something about some students meddling with powers beyond their control and turning into something awful
The Augur of Dunlain?
Former student, ended up turning himself into a ball of energy with a face that's tied to the mana flow of the college itself 😅
You meet him as part of the College of Winterhold quest line.
Well you just gave me a story line to complete I didn't know about and I get 2 new Armour sets !!! Love your videos keep up the great work:)
Haha glad I could help! Those armor sets are a must have for sorcery builds AND style points :D
I was just for the goodies to loot and didn’t pay attention to the items and the dark story behind it but that last form of her left me empty and confused so I wanted to recap deeper and you did a marvelous in depth analysis
Thursday. October 31st. The city streets are crowded for the holiday, even with the rain. Hidden in the chaos; is the element, waiting to strike like snakes. But I'm there to, watching. Two years of nights have turned me into a nocturnal animal. I must choose my targets carefully. It's a big city. I can't be everywhere. But they don't know where I am.We have a signal now. For when I'm needed. But it's not just a call, it's a warning... To them. Fear is a tool. They think I'm hiding in the shadows, but I am the shadows
Schizophrenia?
I actually found her body in the witchbane ruins before that part in the quest line I guess. I was really confused, especially when I went back to her and she doesn't have anything to say about it. That's what led me here, so thanks for the awesome video with great information! Exactly what I was looking for! =]
Thanks so much for this!!!! I haven’t finished the game yet but was super intrigued with Sellen. This is the most in depth lore video I’ve seen for her. Thank you!
I love your lore videos ! You have a great way of gathering and explaining the history and information on the different subjects and your delivery is clear and concise. Can't wait for the next one!
This was awesome. I was sad when it finished, really well presented, I found this so engaging 🙏 look forward to more like this, top notch.
Thank you! Really happy that you enjoyed this so much! Hope I can make more like this that you will watch :)
Her quest broke my heart… last time i saw her she told me to not forget about her and come visit when i became elden lord
She also told me if i decide otherwise i could still come because there would be space for me at the Academy
So when i returned after a long time and saw rennela i was like „please no“
Then i saw the ball.. i was ready to fight the ball and went closer so when i got the option to talk and heard my precious masters voice and realised i was unable to safe her and will be unable to help her any further.. that got to me.. devastating, goated game
Great video! If you find the chamber at the academy where you find Azur's staff, I recall finding a cracked open graven school. To me this implied that both azur and lusat were graven schools at some point but "hatched" to become the inorganic glintstone, nonverbal forms you find them as in the world. If this is true, It's possible that sellen would one day "hatch" as well given enough time, though they would probably not look anything like what they did before.
How good it is to see channels that are in perfecting and delivering an ideal atmosphere to listen to a story.
The "low tone of voice" makes the story more "cozy" to the listener's ears, almost like hearing a "story around a bonfire."
Great Job and Keep improving the storytelling experience.
Win one more sub.
This was an excellent deep dive into Sellen. Thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you so much for watching :)
Just stumbled upon this amazing video on sellen's questline. Your story telling and explanations were captivating. I hope to find more on the channel
Wooooooow i love the "perspective" with which you approach this Lore. Awesome! Regards!
Thank you! Was trying something new here so I'm really happy you like my style :)
I love elden ring and watching your videos are making me fall more in love, on top of that you easily make the best lore videos for this game
I'm so happy you ended up doing this video! I had suggested it in a couple of your videos as her fate broke my heart when I first played. 😢 💔
While i think Sellen would forfeit everything in the pursuit of primeval Glintstone knowledge her last line of dialouge makes me think she isnt a ball by her choosing to me it seemed like she was trying to say she was sorry idk what else would come after the "im.."
She did a lot of horrible things to a lot of other sorcerers in the name of "Studying Sorcery". Those Giant balls of all the sorcerer faces were her experiments. And even the two talismans that depict them that raise sorcery damage are her creations from those horrible experiments. She even tells you that if you help her tot he end that she was going to get rid of everyone at the academy and reinstate *her* way of teaching. Although she meets a grisly end turning herself into one of those ball monsters..or maybe that's what she intended. Either way, she was absolutely an enemy of Ranni, and Ranni must be protected. Iji was a supporter of Jerren too in some way although we get little details of how just that Iji told Jerren about us at the end of the quest. So I believe the promise he made was to Ranni.
My dude, you have a beautiful voice. It's so haunting and melodic. It makes me sad what happened to Sellen. When I finished her quest line and saw what happened to her, plus the way she speaks after she's become a part of the graven mass, I really don't think she willingly submitted to becoming that. She speaks as if she's in pain. I really think Renalla or maybe Ranni had something to do with it, maybe Sellen tried to attack Renalla and Ranni did what she did when you yourself fight her by helping her mother and giving her more power or whatever.
I feel like sellen becoming a ball of heads is literally the definition of "fuck around and find out"
Don’t know if anyone has said this, but you can get a ‘good’ ending for Sellen. Simply don’t tell her where Lusat is, and she’ll remain head of the Academy, all fine
I love that description for Stars of Ruin. "Upon seeing it, he too was broken" is so chilling
This is such a well done and deeply thought out video! Thank you. I really enjoyed my quest line and I love your explanation of it.
You're so welcome! Thank you very much for your comment, I'm so happy you enjoyed my re-telling of the quest :)
I'd love to see you tackle the state of the world before the Erdtree grew. IE the Crucible and what not. Its a really cool time in the world of the Lands Between but deep dives and theories on it are sorely lacking due to how obscure the tidbits of info we have on it are. I think it'd make for an awesome video!
I like this suggestion! I will take a look into this, I think it will give a lot of room for imagination and theory - as you said, we are starving for information in this area!!
@@miss_chalice Glad you like the idea. Looking forward to whatever you end up making.
"You didn't know Sellen, did you? Countless sorcerers fell by her hand."
Tarnished: "No... definately don't know nobody like that..."
*Flashes back to slaughtering and looting our way through Raya Lucaria to go mug the funny-hat lady
Wow! Great deep dive into the lore and such a soothing voice ❤️ instantly subscribed ❤️❤️❤️
Imagine that there’s a quest line that relates with Sellen, Seluvis, and Thops. That involves you doing Seluvis’s puppet quest and eventually enslaves Ranni (Which you can get her puppet and Blaidd’s if you feed him the potion after beating him) and Seluvis returns to the Academy. (It’s optional for you letting him returns to the academy to meet Sellen and gives you Jerren’s puppet after you defeat Jerren. Or you can just kill Pidia and gains Seluvis’s puppet.)
In Sellen’s side, after she returns to the academy and studies the primeval current. Since both masters witnessed the terribleness of the cosmos and things went downhills, I’d imagine that Sellen will also meet her demise in the same way.
However this can be avoided by introducing Thops into the academy to meet Sellen and becomes her second student. Then Thops comes up with his barrier which is a spell that can block and deflect all spells (I imagine this also works as a preceptor filter which can be used to block off the terribleness of the cosmos), and because of Thops’s barrier, Sellen is able to behold the wonders of the universe without becoming like the two masters?
My theory as to why Sellen became a Graven School is that after Lusat is found, she did what she wanted. Restored the study of the Primevil current. But we also have to keep in mind why Sellen was exiled in the first place. Turning other sorcerers into Graven Schools. I think inevitably the student sorcerers did her, what she did to other sorcerers. Turned her into a Graven School and then Raya Lucaria kind just went back to normal.
Sellen's luring and sense of safe feeling with her is scary in hindsight, in thought to real life. For blindly following another person and possibly over looking or not paying attention to the red flags until the damage is done. Reminds you to take a step back and truly looks at things from a wider perspective as a whole.
Incredible video thank you! As a strength build I payed no regard to sorcery questlines, but I feel I need to do another playthrough now. Love the lore and I can't wait to hear more.
I enjoy how deep you go with these , I didn't even know about the pictures and the maks.
I'm so happy you appreciate the depth! Honestly i find it very easy to keep going down rabbit holes that I have to remind myself to not make too many tangents, otherwise I'll forget what I was saying!!
@@miss_chalice lol some tangents can be fine
This was very well put. Not only the story itself, but your take on it. Thank you.
I just found your channel and I think your analysis is brilliant. Thank you for this deep dive into this interesting character and quest line.
You have found some amazing story lines! Thank you for sharing them in such a lovely way.
I loved watching this! I totally missed this quest line! Thank you so much for the deep dive
I think you misread the Graven Mass charm. It said that people like Sellen were the ones who created the Graven Masses. This can be verified by the fact that you never encounter any in the academy, only in places where heretics are found, or near huge glintstone deposits.
There is one in the Academy, after you drop down from the roofs and find the extra glintstone key
Sellen reminds me of that master arniel from elder scrolls skyrim. He was searching answers to dwarven disapearence and ended up dissapearing himself unexpectedly.
this was exactly the video i was looking for thank you so much!
""Sellen" is also a german word..."
Me, a German: "Wait WHAT???"
I never heard this word in my entire life. 😅
Also... nice summary of Sellen's lore. You have my sub.
Haha wow really? I'm happy to hear a German native speaker's view on this. I couldn't find too much info on this word but it seems to be quite archaic? So possibly it's not part of the common vocabulary.
I appreciate your comment and sub so thank you so much!!!
maybe she means "Seelen" which means souls in german
@@miss_chalice I looked it up because I never heard of it either and it is indeed an archaic german word with the meaning of "to sell". Seems like you can't post links anymore but I saw it on a german dictionary site.
This was such an awesome video!! You gave such a thorough explanation of Sellen's quest line, but in a very unique and refreshing light. One that I had not heard before, especially regarding the graven ball at the end of her story. Absolutely loving your channel!! 💜👍
Really awesome and interesting lore video! Keep up the good work!
Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you and I will :)
I'm in grad school right now and I really appreciate your videos! They are such a nice way to escape from the massive amounts of content that I've been given over the weeks. Thank you!
Superb lore video.
Would love to see you tackle the other Fromsoft titles eventually or any story heavy game franchise honestly.
A toast to Miss Chalice. great fortune shall be yours!
Thank you so much! I would love to explore other games! Thank you for your suggestion :)
Cheers to you as well!
As always, your videos are both informative and exceptionally pleasing to listen to - well done I say!
I originally wanted to Sellens quest for stars of ruin, never knew her lore was so interesting
glad i could share some findings, fellow sorcerer :)
Rennala got kicked out of the center of the room and sent to the timeout corner and didnt even question when she got her spot back and there was a ball of faces rolling around
I still remember how shocked I was when I first saw her Graven Mass.
What interests me is the interaction between Sellen and Rennala. Back in the day they were both big shots in opposing ideologies. Sellen must have entered expecting some what of a showdown with Rennala only to see that she was locked up because she was nearly invalid. She only moves her to the other side of the room, which then happens to sellen in graven mass form. I do think the idea that Sellen turned herself into the Mass is interesting, but honest to God Rennala do be acting sus on the low.
Something interesting to note is that excelling gets to the academy before you tell her what you found in Lusat's Hideaway, she she won't become... whatever that is she became, searching for the rest of her days for that answer.
In a way, it's almost like Solaire
Just found this video today. All the effort you put into explaining Sellen's story matches an explanation of Vativiidya, may i say. And if i'm allowed, you have a very gentle and calming voice.
I love your videos and your analytic/theoretical approach to the lore. Also you kind of look like Sellen ( that's a compliment I hope)
One of my favorite characters and purposedly omit the location of one of the masters so she doesnt lose herself. In my headcanon, she becomes an important ally and advisor to the new lord.
Love that Tolkien quote at the end. Also, I would like to say that the Academy Scholars were still keeping a Graven School in their Crystal Tower, and it was well-protected. They wanted it forgotten, yes… but did they want it destroyed? Perhaps they just didn’t want anyone else messing with it besides themselves, and they simply didn’t like the direction Sellen was taking their research.
The scholars have proven to be erroneously arrogant and judgmental before, as evidenced in the story of Thops. Keeping a Graven School of their own to study in secret while openly declaring it forbidden and turning Sellen into a scapegoat sounds just too deliciously hypocritical for Fromsoft not to go that route, especially when it comes to knowledge-hoarding institutions. I also wonder who Sellen may have targeted for her Graven School besides Azur and Lusat… Thops said it was for mistreating “certain sorcerers.” What if she targeted her enemies in the Academy?
Granted, I can’t keep defending her for long, as she had to have crossed a line and put someone innocent into a Graven ball just to get their knowledge in there at some point, but I still do want to point out the hypocrisy of the Academy that expelled her.
5:00 I thought Shard Spiral was gained by having aided Sellen in the grand library.
You got some great content here! I love how you dive deep and don't just read off some internet articles verbatim. Furthermore, your voice sounds like one of the Elden Ring characters! In fact, it reminds me of Sellen herself.
Phenomenal video lovely explanation of the lore of Sellen just got yourself a new subscriber
THANK YOU!! Welcome and glad to have you here :)
This is quickly becoming my favorite Elden ring lore channel. This is going to sound like I'm tossing shade at other channels, but I find that most of them don't know how to stay focused and their scripts contain a great deal of repetition/bloat, as though that it was all written in one draft. Not going to name names because I'm not trying to start an argument but just wanted to say that I really like how you format your content.
been waiting for a new video. Always good to see your content :)
Thank you! Hope it was worth the wait :)
@@miss_chalice definitely :) take your time as long as you need.
I am so incredibly sad that we couldn't save Sellen. She's one of my favorite npc's, there's so much depth to her. I hope there's a way to help her in upcoming DLC. Thank you for another great video, your eyes are captivating and your voice is beautiful for narration. Can't wait for more. Will you ever consider doing videos on Sekiro?
It's actually disturbing that anyone can feel "sad" about such a depraved and power-hungry character. There's no depth to her, she's an archetypal power/knowledge-hungry scientist that has no qualms with mass murder of her own comrades in order to get stronger. Not to mention that her kind were willing to cut open their hearts and basically trade/mutate their souls for a long life battery allowing them to live longer (mb infinitely). Also, her kind are not above trapping the souls of others and using their shells as puppets for ... let's just say perverse actions, and Sellen is well-aware of this practice, even partaking in it.
To compound this and really discredit anyone feeling "sad" about this degenerate, she, in her arrogance, thought that she could control and be at the head of a restored primeval current as the main sorcery practice; a current that is proven to be cosmically uncontrollable by human standards and one that should not be messed with, given that grandmaster wizards were broken from just having a glance at the primeval current (stop playing god, you're not).
All of these things make her downfall all the more deserved and acts as a cautionary tale; Sellen is merged into an amorphous blob of conjoined & tortured mages, getting a taste of her own medicine as she had killed countless of her comrades in a similar fashion before. Suffering forever grusomely as their merged consciousness and all the pains that come along with it flow through all of them simultaneously.
A deserved end to a ruthless and depraved character. Which is why i find your comment disturbing; why would you empathise with such degeneracy ?
@@kirock9223 ..y..you know, I think roderika is pretty cool. I wish we could hang out with her more.. lol.
Ps. Thank you so much for you the in depth explanation. I now see that I'd fall prey to sellens charms if we were in the Lands between..
@@starshipshari
Haha 😄, Roderika is a sweetheart that doesn't realise her own potential and gift, a kind and pleasant person. Id love hanging out with her and encouraging her more.
Happy to help & sorry for the essay, i get intense and carried away smetimes.
A lot of people would fall prey to Sellen's type due to their innate goodness and her absolute lack of it (as they do irl), but hopefully and if ur lucky, a fellow Tarnished will look out for u and have ur back/inform u of her true nature 🙂
I agree with Nevermore's comment! I do think Sellen is an interesting character because of the way she is presented. She is kind to us, offers us spells and interesting dialogue. So when we uncover what she has done, maybe this makes us more likely to sympathise with her.
Now consider if Sellen was unhelpful, brash, hostile and dare I say, ugly? Would these factors make us treat her differently? Something interesting to consider anyway :)
Thank you for your lovely feedback as well! I would definetely consider covering Sekiro!
@@miss_chalice indeed, the writing for these side characters is so good. Sellen is a charming sociopath. Those types are dangerous to befriend
7:25 I'd like to offer a counterpoint: The Graven Schools aren't punishments for the Primeval Sorcerers, they're the reason they're being punished. The Primeval Sorcs have taken regular Sorcs and slammed them together to explore theories about star formation. The other sorcerers, upset at their companions being horribly mangled and sentenced possibly to a fate worse than death, exiled the primeval sorcerers and imprisoned them. Likewise when Sellen becomes a Graven School she probably did it to herself to try and turn herself into a star
Another amazing video! Hope you are feeling better!
Thank you for your concern!! 😊 I am feeling much better now
Hi, this is the first time i've seen one of your videos and i just want to say that your voice and way of talking works really well with telling stories :D
Enjoyed the video, I would say she did it all in the pursuit of knowledge. If she didn't have issue sacrificing herself then I'd see no issue sacrificing others as well. Thought it was a pretty interesting quest to follow. I would like to know more past the point in which she turns, hopefully with DLC they will expand on the lore.
This quest line seems the most open to potential DLC content progress.
Great video! Answers all the questions I had about sellen. keep up the great content !
I ultimately had a hard time choosing between Sellen and Jerren, I went with Jerren based off of rewards and I felt like Jerren was the better person, but I still felt like I betrayed Sellen because all the other interactions and quests I did for her.
You literally sound like an elden ring npc. Literally perfect for narrating this
Thank you so so much! That's very kind of you to say!
I don't think it was Rennala who turned Sellen into the Graven Mass -- from what we have seen so far, Rennala is so far gone, she's off in her own world, and barely even recognizes us during her boss fight. It's only once Ranni's spell is activated, that we get to fight that Rennala "sentry" that offers a glimpse of her former full powers.
The way I see it, is that studying the primeval current too deeply inevitably results in the student going mad, and losing their humanity by being transformed into an inanimate entity of glintstone and rock. This is what seemed to happen to Lusat and Azur, where their bodies were gradually replaced with glintstone (somewhat like the real-life disease Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva, where soft tissues gradually ossify and turn to bone), as a result of their primeval studies. Still, at the time when we find both of those sorcerers, they are still clinging to their last remnants of life, as they are both able to grant us their respective sorceries, the pinnacles of their studies, and the most powerful sorceries ever developed.
Once Sellen had us retrieve Lusat and Azur's bodies, and return them to the academy, she resumed her studies into the primeval current, possibly able to glean more knowledge from the remnants of the old grandmaster sorcerers. I think it was this pursuit here that resulted in her turning into the Graven Mass, in an ironic, karmic twist of fate. It's not clear that Lusat and Azur also compose the same Graven Mass as Sellen, and it's not clear if Sellen was directly responsible for the creation of all Graven Masses, since it would beg the question why one guards the Witch Bane Ruins.
I agree. From how i understand the graven-mass/graven-school talisman descriptions, becoming a graven mass wasn't a punishment, but the "nightmarish" consequence of peering too deep into the abyss.
Either a cult-like state of madness, where sorcerers believed, they would have to become Stars themselves to understand, and thus fused (making Sellen sort of a cult-leader which would legitimize jarrens view of her)
Or just the act of peering into the primeval current starts a process of crystalization, which eventually fuses sorcerers together (in which case Sellen would still kind of be responsible for their fates)
But considering how when first meeting her, she makes clear to "anticipate grievances", i would assume, that she only takes in those, who understand, and are willing to give everything in their pursuit of knowledge.
So, in the second scenario, Sellen is not to blame because no one is actually harmed.
that's why I didnt go the magic route 🤣
Yes!!! It’s here! Thank you for the video! You’re doing great. 😁
Yay! Thank you so much! Always appreciate your support :D
I finished her quest 'cause I was genuinely lured by her personality... Blinded, I wasn't able to see the flaw in her dialogue. And the moment I saw her in the most harrowing state by the end of her quest... I stopped playing for a while 'cause it was just painful.
So, I who couldn't clearly understand what happened, stumbled upon your video... And now it's clear, she was indeed a wicked witch. But she was a wicked witch that I chose to follow and respect.
Now, I've finally accepted that what she has become was her entire goal, and it is indeed a fitting end for her.
Damn, Fromsoft is just too good at making stories...
Gods this was a good upload, I really think you nailed it here. Even old war councillor Iji seemed to be waiting for events to change and the world to be rid of her. But, if we do follow through and she, can I say, ascends, have we made it even worse for all? Will the new graven mass achieve even greater power and understanding?
The fact that you can see Sellen's face on top of the graven ball makes it's even more bizarre because at first when you talk, her face does not appear
Let's goooooo new vid!
I love listening to these before bed
Thank you!! So happy you enjoy my style :)
Comet Azur.
Or, as others might know it, Azure Kamehameha.
In light of seeing Lusat and Azur having become almost entirely made of glintstone, and Sellen's heart/soul veering much the same, is this glintstone petrification a side-effect of sorcerous study that some practitioners have leant heavily and very deliberately into, or more of a purely elective process, chosen to extend the sorcerer's lifespan, so they needn't return to the Erdtree?
Wow......that explains a LOT. I wondered what happened in the end if that was it to the quest. One wonders why you need Lusat and Co to basically finish this questline.
Seems to me she tried to combine mages power to be reborn as a star.
previous attempts failed using former students, so she thought using her knowledge/power and that of azur and lusat Would finally do it.
but like a gas giant that wasn't massive enough to ignite, they only succeeded in becoming a grotesque congealment of mass, forever haunted by their hubris in believe they could match the glory of the stars.
Sellen's quest is very reminiscent of the themes in Bloodborne and Byrgenwerth's pursuit of knowledge. Though, you could make a similar argument for forbidden knowledge being a reoccurring theme in all of Fromsoft's Souls-like games
I came across a weird theory:
So Malenia has the Valkyrie's Prosthesis. Which is a key item in the game.
On the description you find: When Maleigh Marais, Lord of the Shaded Castle, embraced this prosthesis, he claimed to feel the presence of his personal goddess.
The name of this hostile npc Maleigh (means A star of the sea. Name Maleigh is of English origin and is a Girl name. People with name Maleigh are usually Judaism by religion)
And Marais (an area of low marshy land often covered with water / salt water).
I don’t know who this goddess is but let it might be the second form of Malenia . So moving on I’ll explain her sisters
Valkyries in Norse mythology, are any of a group of maidens who served the god Odin and were sent by him to the battlefields to choose the slain who were worthy of a place in Valhalla.
Millicent - Her name means brave and strength sometimes work
Mary, Eldest Sister. Wields a Halo Scythe. ( from the Hebrew mar, meaning "sea")
Maureen, Second Sister. Wields a Treespear. (Her name means stat of the sea)
Amy, Third Sister. Wields two Flowing Curved Swords. (Her names means beloved , well-loved)
Polyanna, Youngest Sister. ( now this is a name that is made out of two, Polly (still comes from the word sea) and Anna (grace). It also means to see the bright side of everything.
With these 5 and and Malenia they could be connected to the legend of the 6 Valkyries. Their names and weapon of choice have a resemblance.
Völuspá and Grímnismál
The völva follows this with a list of six valkyries: Skuld (Old Norse, possibly "debt" or "future") who "bore a shield", Skögul ("shaker"), Gunnr ("war"), Hildr ("battle"), Göndul ("wand-wielder") and Geirskögul ("Spear-Skögul").
(Probably look images up if there’s any resemblance).
I’ll come back with more info in the comments this just occurred to me a few days ago. Hope it inspires you :)
The question is who is the mentor is it Gowry? Or MALEIGH MARAIS ? Or is it an older story between Malenia and someone else.
Overall I think that the rotting sea from Caelid refers to the Dead Sea or red sea. Since there’s the swamps of Aonia mean immeasurably or indefinitely.
Malenia posing in phase two just like the birth of Aphrodite also hints to this, since Aphrodite was birthed in the foam of the sea.
If Millicent and the others are her daughters or granddaughters then at some point she possibly had a lover or it could’ve been again the same story with Aphrodite in which the remaining blood drops that fell on in the sea and on the land turned into nymphs and other creatures.
Another heavily inspired theme is from Norse mythology. With the tree Yggdrasil. But what’s interesting still in Caelid is that the region is divided just like Fólkvangr. "field of the host"[1] or "people-field" or "army-field"[2]) is a meadow or field ruled over by the goddess Freyja where half of those that die in combat go upon death, whilst the other half go to the god Odin in Valhalla.
Malenia with her Valkyries being Freya and Radhan with his horse being Odin. His horse Leonard could be a reference to Odin’s horse Sleipnir (Loki’s son) and Radagon’s red wolf companion could be to Fenrir.
Even if Radhan would be a reference to Odin the supreme god, Thor is still the strongest of them all, which is Radagon (also red haired like Thor, and wielding a hammer).
While the God-Devouring Serpent (Rykard) is obviously the world eating serpent Jörmungandr.
Wow. Great explanation. Well done. Your voice is so beautiful it brings a sense of tranquility. Thank you.
Renalla was out of it after Radagon left her for Marika. He gave her the egg and she eventually went crazy leaving the school in its state. She more than likely didn't do that to Selen. Selen probably chose to become a graven mass or it happened to her because of the primeval magics. Ranni is Renallas child and likes to "punish" people. If sellen was fucking with the stars, which Ranni uses then she probably did that to her.
Sellen's demise was one of those that had me thinking "damn you!!!"
She felt like a real teacher. Damn. Her saying "Lord or not, you wull always have a place in my academy."