@miss_chalice Why assume roderika cant see sites of Grace? hear me out please, the cloak only says she never recived guidence from Grace, that dosent mean she cant actually see Grace sites just that she isent guided to them... the devil is in the details as always with elden ring ,that seem to be slightly forgotten when talking about how she could get to the hold... but nevertheless great video just wanted to point that out 😊
@@miss_chalice oh 100%. She really is my favorite character because of her arc and how much she grew from start to finish. Tbh unprecedented for a FromSoft game and I can't help but wonder if George RR Martin had something to do with that
Roderika is probably my favorite fromsoft npc out of all their games. In a way, she's the anti-fromsoft npc. Rather then go hollow, fight you, or turn up as a corpse, she goes through a really great character arc. It was always comforting to see her at the hold. By the end, she really did feel more like a companion that grew with you throughout the course of the game. I'm glad they left her fate kind of ambiguous. The roundtable hold already survived one Erd tree burning. So, as long as you don't pick the frenzied flame ending, there's a chance she's ok.
That's really heartwarming to hear. I agree, she's a great companion that I can always rely on seeing whenever I return back to the hub. (Although I did get a bit scared when it got set on fire, that she may have been taken from us too soon). Fromsoft could have very easily given her a morbid end - for example, she could have got captured and used for grafting. We may have seen a body part we recognised on one of the grafted scions. I shudder to imagine. But luckily they didn't do that!
@Miss Chalice that would have been so sad if they did that, but so on brand. Lol I think that's why Roderika seems so unique for a fromsoft game. Her story begins with tragedy and then becomes much more optimistic.
But Master Hewg says, "The girl you brought here. She's crestfallen and can scarcely swing a blade..." This implies we're the one who brought her over to Roundtable Hold. I find that interesting.
Yes, this line only makes sense if we actually find the Chrysalids Memento and give it to Roderika before we kill Godrick or go into Liurnia, as either of those makes her go automatically to the Roundtable Hold without it being in response to our interaction with her. We're meant to fulfill her request to make the story make sense, even though we didn't really "bring her" there, did we. She must have told Hewg that it was because of us she came there.
Would have been real cute to have an interaction with Roderika at a site of grace holding her hand and taking her there. Or maybe even asking Melina to send her off. Oh well...
@@cross-eyedhollowyk melina technically being a spirit rodrika is probably the only one that sees melina even when she poofs invisible or whatever melina does when she fades away
Roderika makes a great early npc because it kinda feels like you're both losers of which no one expects much. But Torrent believes in you, and you give Roderika the memento reminding her those people believed in her. It feels like a nice friendship that makes you both better as you further her questline
The Japanese text for the line "Worn by expatriated royalty" is "流離する王族の装束" where "流離する" means "to wander around a foreign land," making the direct translation for that line as "Cloak of the Wandering Royal" or "Wandering Royal Cloak." (The word is a synonym with the Rurouni in Rurouni Kenshin.) As such, that line by itself doesn't specifically reference forced expatriation or banishment. But the other line translated as "the gift of a cloak made it easier for undesirables to be on their way" uses "厄介払い," which does have the connotation that the people staying behind are at least happy to see wanderer leave. The definition is "driving off a troublesome person, getting rid of a nuisance" and the phrase is used in the idiom for "good riddance." In that manner, while the text doesn't directly imply formal banishment, whoever gave her the cloak was happy she left and the fact her lands has an official tradition for sending off royals does imply they do it often. That suggests the royals there are either unpopular with the populace or there's a lot of backstabbing among the royals themselves. Edit: As a late update after replying to a comment below, the "流離" (pronounced either sasurai or ryuuri depending on usage) in the item description which is translated as "expatriated" in game also appears in a Japanese literature motif "貴種流離譚," (kishuryuuritan) which is a motif where a young hero/god has to leave their capital to fulfill a quest often under duress. It is possible FromSoftware choose this wording for the item description to allude to the fact that Roderika is in a comparable situation. The wiki for it is ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%B2%B4%E7%A8%AE%E6%B5%81%E9%9B%A2%E8%AD%9A for anyone interested.
And perhaps even her very notable cloak was a way to attract the attention of wrongdoers and even serve as a "gift" so the nobles would still feel a part of their heritage, as to make them not want to riot or revolt against their banishment.
流離する王族の装束 could be translated as Royalty In Disarray according to some automatic translators, that makes a lot of sense for once. I wonder how it comes to that translation though x)
@@KaitN9 I rechecked a dictionary just to see, but I didn't find evidence of that usage, so at least I can't vouch for it, although perhaps someone else could. Although I did find an interesting connection that fits Roderika. The "流離" (ryuuri) in the item description which is translated as "expatriated" in game also appears in a Japanese literature motif "貴種流離譚," (kishuryuuritan) which is a motif where a young hero/god has to leave their capital to fulfill a quest often forced or at least under duress. Another description of it is along the lines of "the tale of the exile." In choosing to use ryuuri over the similar rurouni, FromSoftware must have intended to allude to that motif for Roderika. The wiki for it is ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%B2%B4%E7%A8%AE%E6%B5%81%E9%9B%A2%E8%AD%9A for anyone interested.
@@KaitN9 DeepL does have one of the better reputations for machine translations, so I am curious what data it has leads it to that translation. 王族の装束 (ouzoku no shouzoku) is just the words for royalty and the traditional attire worn by them. 流離 (sasurai or ryuuri) is wandering. Technically a wanderer is usually in disarray so maybe that sense is what leads DeepL into that translation.
The "why does that girl weep for me" always....always gets me teary eyed. Jesus....it just breaks me in pieces. Imagine all that time passing, years, decades together to just forget her. I can't even imagine how she felt, but I know she shook it aside and her only goal was to protect him. It's heartbreaking.
Oh sorry but there are Berserk spoilers discussed at 19:24 (my warning somehow disappeared and turned into the letter E hahahha) but yes please skip ahead to the next chapter if you don't want to get spoiled!!!
Very sweet little detail when your crimson hood vanished. I feel really sorry for Roderika and how much of a burden she carries with her. But you gotta admire how well she handles it I her friendship with Master Hewg. I really hope that by becoming Elden Lord we really save these two amazing beings. (I personally hope that for other characters as well) Also I would love to see another lore video on Hewg.
Thank you, I'm glad you noticed that little swap out I did! I agree, Roderika's determination is very admirable and I know she probably helped reassure Hewg whilst he struggled with his memory. Whatever happened to them, I'm glad they had each other through it :)
She went from being too afraid to move in Stormveil to being too courageous to run away from burning to death. I think the guilt of abandoning her friends she came to the Lands Between with stuck with her and she refuses to do that again. Roderika is one of the truest and bravest characters we meet in Elden Ring.
About how roderika was able to use the grace to get to roundtable hold: my personal theory is that due to her ability for spirit tuning and her also being able to hear spirits & souls, maybe the grace or even marika herself called out to her and while she didnt SEE the grace, she HEARD it and thus was able to locate and use it.
I feel like Roderika should tell you that you should give the Stormhawk Ashes to Nepheli Loux in some capacity. That part of Nepheli's quest is weirdly unintuitive, needing you to both decide to go down those stairs and know to give her this seemingly arbitrary item. And that part for some reason requires you to progress Roderika's quest, so she'd already be across from Hewg. Don't need to spell it out completely, maybe have her comment about Nepheli being downstairs or comment on the stormhawk ashes when you acquire them.
This video was a trip. I honestly felt very moved by your presentation of Roderika’s Journey, and all of the context adds a lot to the Elden Ring journey. Also holy moley has your list of Patreons grown! Congrats
It was a trip to make to be honest! But definitely a good trip haha Thank you for enjoying my style and presentation. And yes! I'm super super grateful for all the support! Just unbelievable and a dream come true to be a professional lore lady!
I'm so sad I found your channel so late!! This was such a good video I love Roderika! As a native Japanese speaker, the translation for the description of the Crimson Hood is mainly correct. I would translate it like this: "Gifted to those sent off to a journey with no mission. Far, far away, to a journey from which they can never come home again. In other words, a veiled way of getting rid of a nuisance."
Roderika is so good, I wish we got to see her fight like Renalla's boss fight, summoning a handful of spirits. It would've been moving to see her fight Godrick after gaining her confidence again(if you saved Godrick for later)
I still don’t know if it’s intentional but your videos are perfect ASMR content as well as lore videos. I’ve replayed the Iji, Seluvis and Blaidd video like 20 times to fall asleep too lol
I believe the spirit tuner that Hewg knew was Marika. As that’s the only character he has a relationship with. And I think roderika is a reflection of how Marika felt at one point. Btw love the roderika with golden eyes. Marikas mischief :)
The only concrete thing we learn about their relationship is how he both worships and fears her. I like the idea he saw Marika before she became a self-serving god, that she actually cared back then. Before turning on people like Hewg.
I have a feeling it's Miquella. It's heavily implied Miquella was the owner of Torrent (especially with the DLC's announcement image) and Ranni gives you the 3 Wolves Spirits + Spiritcalling Bell saying it's from Torrent's previous owner... And in the Haligtree there are statues depicting Miquella and the 3 wolves. Seems like Miquella had some spirit tuning abilities and as far as we know he was truly loved by everyone around him. I think it makes more sense to have Hewg think fondly of Miquella than Marika because he seems to have a lot of anger and fear of her at this point (which is very justified).
Varre mentions that the "guidance of grace" is the rays of light shining from graces pointing in different directions. So the hood saying "rodericka was never once guided by grace" doesn't mean she couldn't see grace *at all*, it means she couldn't see it's guidance. He also mentions that we are "without an invitation to the roundtable hold", which I like to think rodericka had since she is royalty
The spirit tuner Hewg talks about is Marika. He's indebted to Marika. Rodarika reminds him of Marika. Even her name is similar to Marika's. It makes perfect sense that Marika is a spirit tuner, it's part of the reason she's riding Torrent in the DLC image.
Bit of a sidetrack, but there's a theory the DLC teaser depicts Miquella sitting on Torrent instead, which I find not that far fetched. He is eternally in a child's body, which at that point may have more feminine features
Lovely video and cosplay as always, been here for a lil while and glad to see you grow. Looking forward to seeing what lorevid/loreplays you delve into after you feel like there's not much else to cover left in elden ring. Keep doing what you do, that sponsored ad read was smooth af too. Edit: Just saw the bit about the cloak removal too that was a good touch aswell!
Thank you so much!! And thank you for your continued support. I am actually planning some other non-Elden Ring LorePlays ohoho and an excited to show you in time. P.s. thank you for noticing that! I was wondering how many people would 😁
There's a lot I love about your vids, but I've especially noticed your writing skills lately. Every video you make is better written and edited than the one before. I appreciate how much work you're putting to continuously level up as an essayist.
This game is truly something else, and the fact that people like you and Vaati narrate the thoughts of the community in such a good way it makes it even better
Miss Chalice, thank you for you’re hard work, we all appreciate it. You’re an incredible, wonderful, amazing, and awesome person. ☺️😊😄😃🤩😍 ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
I think Roderika can freely go to the round table hold because she is a spirit tuner, and I see the roundtable hold as sort of the spirit of the erdtree, thats why melina can take us there as she is, burned and bodiless
I recently discovered this channel just at the same time I started my first blind playthrough of elden ring, and these videos are making my experience SO much better. Thank you so much for these videos, they are really great!!! ❤❤❤
Love the amount of effort and details you put into your cosplay and videos. Like when you appeared without the red hood on when speaking about Roderika doing it.
This video teared me up girl! Thank you for making another sweet angel like Rya! 😭❤ it’s so sad she remained staying with hewg. You look amazing with blonde omg! 🥰 I’d defo love to see you do melina and gloam eyed queen lore! You dressing up melina would be so beautiful 😻
"つまりは体のよい厄介払いだ" I just wanted to add some nuance as this part by itself means "a nice way of saying getting rid of a nuisance". I would translate the whole text as : "This is given to those who are sent far away, on a journey to never return. A diplomatic way of getting rid of a nuisance." It coud mean that Roderika has been exiled, but without directly implying it. As she was able to enter Stormveil Castle, I would even consider that she could have been sent to Stormveil by her relatives to marry Godrick. It was a pretty common thing to do in the Middle Age. In her homeland, there must be some conspiracy within the royal family itself in order to inherit the throne or something like that. Nuances in Japanese are usually difficult to translate so there may be a lot of different takes and this is mine. I believe it rejoins ET Smith take. Loved the video and cosplay. Thank you for your hardwork!
After listening to some of the things Hewg tells us I believe that he might have been Mikella's or Marika's blacksmith in the past. Ranni already told us that Torrent was Mikella's companion, a spirit... Who knows maybe the DLC gives more answers
The juxtaposition of the awful things she describes and the whimsical manner of her speech made her one of the most endearing NPCs for me right away. Her gentleness is even communicated through gameplay, in a way as she can help struggling Tarnished almost as much as Hewg.
They used the grafting imagery a lot in the marketing. It's really striking. I wish that in game, Limgrave had more environmental storytelling with regards to Godrick's men hunting down new tarnished as they arrive in the lands between, like you can play through the region and not really understand that Tarnished are arriving at the chapel of anticipation and immediately being captured by Godrick's scions, or that Limgrave is an especially hostile placed for Tarnished at all. A little detail like Kaiden riders having a lasso move where they immobilize you for a second would have been a subtle hint that they're capturing our kind, dead or alive. And I know it's a big game with a lot of moving parts already, but not being able to participate in a little grafting yourself seems like a BIG missed opportunity to me.
Small theory I'd like to share, the spirit tuner that Hewg referrers to might be either Renna(?) the Snow Witch or even Queen Rennala from how Roderika shares similar shades of teal blue eyes. Rennala's eyes were originally blue and Ranni's doll was modeled after her teacher; with Ranni either learning spirit summoning from her mother or her teacher🤔
What a lovely story. This game is so rich and thoughtful in ways you don't expect. Great video, i loved the close ups of characters and the cosplay of course!
Rodericka is one character that deserves to be protected in the FromSoft games. No motive, just trying to atone for something that wasn't even her fault and eventually having the mad courage yo look after her mentor as the world burnt around. She's bloody awesome
I wonder if the traveling noble set that we find later on is tied in any way to her as it's basically the same outfit and what the different color cloak implies
Omg… I think Fromsoftware used you as inspiration for Roderika! You and her are so soft spoken and how Roderika seems to have such a kind soul and only based on what I’ve seen of your videos, you seem to have a kind soul as well. You startled me at the beginning of this video because I thought you were Roderika lol. I really enjoy your videos. You put so much work and effort into your content and it clearly shows. Thank you!
I started playing elden ring two months ago and yesterday I burned down the erdtree after defeating Malekith. Now here I'm as yt suggested me your lore video. I really love your lore explanation and also your cosplay :)
Amazing video about one of my favorite characters in the game. I was so sad about their ending. Here's to hoping that our endings can save them before it's too late.
This is interesting. I somehow started with your channel with the Hewg video. I have gotten to learn so much that goes over my head just playing, but also randomly watching these videos and seeing how YOU have grown with the channel. I will forever remember you as our Cosplay Elden LOREd.
You know, part of me wonders if Grafting originally started as some sort of attempt to return to the Crucible. The Crucible is all about wild, chaotic growth, right? Feathers, scales, horns, extra limbs. It's as if those who once worshipped it were working backwards to try and get back to this time.
Oh my god it all just clicked: There’s one more meaning to “expatriate” which was right under our noses. Literally right from Latin. “Patria” is fatherland but pater means father. Her father likely cast her out per your observations but Hewg took her in like his own daughter. AND (maybe) Have you heard the theory of how Hewg may have once led a servant uprising based on the description of the stone brick hammer and the hammer? In my own mind narrative, he was spared by Marika herself but the “deal” was that he would have to forge a weapon to slay a god. This was probably toward the end of Marika’s reign where she realized the flawed golden order and the misbegotten were actively discriminated against. But Hewg only really talks about two people- Marika and Roderika… So if that’s the case, could Roderika’s eyes remind him of Marika’s? It’s a weird dynamic between Hewg and Marika. She forced him to live a life of eternal smithing, but made him promise to smith a weapon to slay a god. He is terrified of her, but actively prays to her. SOOOO MUCH to unpack!!!! And yes awesome detail when you took off your hood. Your drip is second to none :)
@17:56 this is why I adore these videos. I saw this while playing and didn't think anything about it. There's so many little details that I've missed without even realizing it.
From what Hewg said "The girl you brought here.." i guess that the player told her about the roundtable and probably showed her how to get to it, just like Melina showed us.
My theory for Roderika is she was already dead when we met her. We never know how she survived from that attack plus it is not make sense to me that how she is alive while her all men dead. We can't also attack her, maybe this is the reason. She is also maidenless, how she can go to the Roundtable Hold? We only can go to Roundtable Hold with Melina which she is also a spirit. If the Roundtable Hold is in a place that physically unreal so this should be how she went there. Morever she can hear the spirits both her men and dung eater's cursed ones. Plus info, it was the Ranni that Hewgh mentioned to us about the spirit tuner he knew long ago.
I get a feeling Roderika may’ve travelled with a sibling or someone similar, she gives you Aurelia which gives me a theme of sisterhood as well as the blue variation of the hood
I just watched a video on Melina, which showed a cutscene from the Lord of Frenzied Flame ending. The eye that is always closed is open, and she has a blue eye. Perhaps she is the one who Hewg is thinking of, especially since she gives you Torrent, which is summoned by spectral whistle.
The first Erd tree sapling that we run into has no seed at its base. Later at the round table hold Roderika gives us this seed. This means that she was at the area and would explain why she knows about white mask Varree
I don't know if this has been mentioned but it is worth taking a look at the Navy Cloak. It essentially says they same things as the Crimson Cloak except that the Navy Cloak implies that the royals (nobels?) given these cloaks were sent away because they could see the guidance of grace. Roderika's cloak specifically says she never did. This gives us some things that we can extrapolate and some things we can speculate on. Firstly we can assume that it is a fairly common practice to send royals that can see the grace of gold off, with an entourage, to the lands between. Presumably they are expected to attempt to become Elden Lord. We can also assume that it is not a punishment but more like a calling (even if you might not want it). Roderika represents an anomaly to this idea. She can't see the guidance of grace. There could be several reasons for this. The first reason is that she lied about seeing that grace of gold. She could have sought the potential prestige of it or perhaps did not consider the implications. The Roderika that we meet does not appear to be that kind of person, more inclined to just accept that she was a bit useless, but she had just been through an ordeal that would have shaken her to her core. The second reason could be that the nobility would use this tradition to send unwanted family members away. If, as Roderika implies, she was a bit useless this could be reason enough to send her away. It could be that she had transgressed against some taboo. It could even have to do with her connection to spirits. That she already has some spirit ashes would suggest that she had them before she came to the lands between. How she talks about them also implies that she did not consider the idea of hearing the musings of spirits to be weird. She seems quite open about what she hears and this could have been her downfall. A child talking about hearing things that are not there is not really a problem but in a young lady it might be embarrassing. However it happened we can assume she was sent to the lands between on the pretense that she could see the grace of gold. More importantly her men would have been told that she could. Her men may have been fully convinced that they were escorting the next Elden Lord. I however don't think so. They may not have been fully aware of how much they were pawns in the machinations of nobels but they could probably tell that a potential Elden Lord Roderika was not. But it is clear that they were loyal to her and cared for her besides mere loyalty. They wanted her to thrive. I just hope that much as she moved past the lose of her men that she can move past the lose of Hewg. I hope she changes her mind and leaves the Roundtable Hold. In many ways i feel like the ending of this story is needlessly sad. I can understand not wanting to uproot Hewg in the state he is in but she could at least take all her character progression and go out into the world. It is a poor way to repay Hewg by dying with him. It would have been much better if she had shown that she intended to leave though not just yet. A line like 'I will stay as long as I can. It breaks my heart but he would not have wanted me to stay.' would have fit very well to her new confidant self.
Roderika finding the courage to visit her lost men is so lovely. Even if Godrick is gone, there's still a castle full of danger to face in order to get there.
When interacting with NPCs, we don't hear our Tarnished speak but in many occasions it can be inferred that perhaps the NPCs hear a response from our Tarnished when interacting with them--while at other times NPCs seem to interpret from our actions as to what sort of message we're trying to convey to them. When Roderika is first found at the Stormhill Shack--and after speaking about grafting, her men, the spider and the chrysalids--Roderika asks if we're all on our own, learns that we are going to Stormveil Castle, and ponders as to whether the 'one in the white mask' had enticed us into doing so, suggesting that Roderika had also spoken to Varré at one point or another. Varré knows all about the Tarnished (as a group of people, not specifically the player) and understands that without the guidance of a Finger Maiden and ultimately the capacity to turn Runes into strength or receive an invitation to the Roundtable Hold--we are unlikely to be able to accomplish anything of note. Varré suggests that if we were to challenge Godrick, despite being maidenless, we might catch the attention of the Roundtable Hold and receive said invitation that way. Varré is very surprised that we managed to the reach the Roundtable Hold despite being maidenless and having not yet challenged Godrick, as we have the ability to reach the Roundtable Hold once Melina has finished 'vetting/testing us' (which I think only happens after we've fought Margit once and or have rested at a Site of Grace in Caelid). Roderika likely learnt everything she needed to about who the Tarnished are, who Maidens are and their purpose, and what the Roundtable Hold is and represents from Varré when they spoke. Its possible that when Roderika says to us "You're all on your own, are you? And heading to Stormveil Castle? Enticed by the one in the white mask, I suppose," she is speaking from experience--having spoken to Varré and been enticed alongside her men to challenge Godrick in order be noticed by the Roundtable Hold and potentially receive an invitation. Her men crossed the sea and 𝒇𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒉𝒆𝒓, only to have their legs, arms and even heads taken and grafted to the spider. Roderika likely learned about the Roundtable Hold from Varré, and only goes to the Roundtable Hold after we ourselves have already likely been there. In fact our player character is likely the one who escorted Roderika to the Roundtable Hold as Hewgs even first refers to her as "The girl you brought here..." when telling us about Roderika being crestfallen and mentioning her resemblance to the Spirit Tuner he once knew.
This is sooo good! There is so much in this game to unravel without some help. I just finished my first play through, and I know I missed so much content. I was curious about Rodericka and this answered so much.
That momento is a Bloodborne throwback if I ever saw one. In fact Roderika as a whole reminds me of the sidequest of the little girl in Yharnam who gets eaten by the pig and we recover her bloody ribbon after we tell her a safe place to go to. Then the sister cleaned it up and we put ot on the "little ones". To put more plainly, I subscribe to the concept of reversed stories here and there in Elden Ring as a contrast to previous games.
I always miss out on her quest. I greet her first. Once I go outside of Limgrave prior to beating Stormvale, she automatically ends up in Roundtable Hold.
this thumbnail was really next level in terms of setting and atmosphere. and the video was also amazing once again :D i don't know if i am possibly reaching a bit too far with that comparison, but in my head i have always drawn connections to roderika and quelana from dark souls 1. both are crestfallen, both are paralyzed by the shock when catastrophy struck, both suffer from survivor's guilt after being the only ones who even managed to live relatively unscathed after the respective events they were subjected to. roderika watching her men get torn apart and grafted to the abominations of stormveil castle being unable to stop them and quelana fleeing izalith when her entire family was engulfed by the flames of chaos that turned them into these distorted beings. and both are relevant to the player in helping them master a certain set of skills, spirit tuning for roderika and pyromancy for quelana. and despite how tragic both their tales begin, both of them are eventually able to overcome their guilt. roderika with the help of hewg teaching her spirit tuning and giving her purpose as well as something she can finally consider herself to be proficient at. and she is then willing to perish alongside the one person (aside from the player i guess) who made her into what she is. and for quelana, though it is a bit more cryptic, in dark souls 3 you can find her tome in the izalith ruins on a corpse next to something that looks like the fair maidens body. meaning after all these years she overcame her guilt and managed to return home to her sisters. it is very bittersweet in both cases. i really like the way fromsoft crafts these character stories that revolve around psychological conditions. it makes these characters just that much more relatable and organic. makes you really feel for them and in some cases even relate to them in a way. and i think the story of roderika, going from a dejected maiden to someone proficient in the rare art of spirit tuning because someone was able to lift her up and give her both purpose and a reason to keep going is another one of those cases. anyways, once again great video. can't wait to see more in the future :D
To comment on the translation of the Crimson Hood, I asked my sister, she knows Japanese (has lived there a couple of years): "They send you on a journey to far away lands without a mission, those kinds of journeys from which you never return twice. Meaning, a good way of getting rid of someone who is bothersome." Note: she translated it into Spanish and I'm translating it into English, so there might be loss of meaning.
@@darlingxluxii7977 It's not a berserk reference. It's just a way of saying 'someone who's annoying'. It's basically saying, if that translation is correct 'They send you on an aimless mission you can't complete, so you never return. A good way to get rid of an annoying person.'
I like Roderika. She eerily reminds me of Farnese' character in Berserk. Started as a devout crazy lady touching herself in front of a fire (probably for coping mechanism) turned to a prodigal mage.
Awesome video as always! :) I tiny ftip I have for your sound design: you can cut away low background frequencies in lamost all audio programs wich would get rid of the slight rumble in the background when you speak. nothing of big import, just an idea :)
Your videos do such a good job of bringing out the psychological and emotional aspects of the characters. You really made me see a depth to Roderika that I definitely missed. I love all types of Elden Ring lore analysis, but this is a refreshing approach after watching so many videos that focus on the more grandiose aspects of the game. Looking forward to more ^_^
If my Land of Reeds Samurai(Jinsoma)could talk to Rodericka, he would thank her and restore her royal status. (Hey I’m Elden Lord. Who’s gonna tell me otherwise) Rodericka spirit tuning my mimic tear and Tiche to the max helped me through some of the toughest bosses in the lands between. Even the jelly fish😊 Thank you for this one Miss Chalice. Rodericka is special to me. She reminds me of my sister who I lost about 8 years ago. And you even made the character link to Farnese! Chef’s kiss 👌🏿
I randomly read a long time ago that when a silver smith is purifying silver, the smith knows the purifying pricess is complete because they can see their own reflection in it perfectly. This holds a bit of a parallel in my mind to this character in this quest. Great vid thankyou for posting
I think another thing to consider about her getting rid of her cloak is that it’s a parting gift for the undesirable but now she’s been accepted into a new home and no longer undesirable.
Interesting how Ranni gives you a spirit tuning bell from Torrents previous owner, one of the empyrean children. Although empyrean, they’re also Neuman. I wonder if Rodericka is a Neuman as well, and if that somehow leads to why she can get to the hold
The funniest thing about her to me is that when I first encountered her I was tryna use her to figure out what enemy type Id be facing in the castle. She was very misleading, yet not
The quest is short, but somehow Roderika and Hughs story has way more meaning to me than the main quest, when I think back on the story of this game, I tear up, why must they burn up? Why did we have to burn the tree, that was bringing people purpose, a common goal and aspiration? Was Gideon, awful as he might be, right all along? A tarnished cannot become lord. Not because they are unable, but because of the consequences. Gideon wanted to preserve the comraderie of the tarnished, the eternal struggle, despite understanding and knowing too much, he found beauty and contentment with the state of the world. Why is it raining in my room. Thank you for sharing your thoughts Chalice.
The cosplay looks amazing....the hood removal and minute details are a fine touch to the lore....thanks :) 9:10 I would like to disagree on this....the guidance of grace is manifestation of the guidance offered by the Greater Will, and I would not consider it extending so lightly. What might be the case for Roderika is that every tarnished is said to have a maiden and that maiden might have teleported Roderika to the Roundtable Hold once, before said maiden died. 10:05 you just can't skip an ad after this lead up :D
I don’t think the round table is under the erd tree as it is shown outside the map but rather it is simply a projection for the greater wills subject to gather and spread its influence across the lands between
It's kind of the more obvious thing but a cloak is something a traveler uses, for sun and rain. Giving it up represents her intent to stay at the Hold.
I love how there's a chapter of this video called "touch grace". When you need to get out, you touch grass. When you have touched enough grass, you need to touch grace. Maybe that's the eternal cycle they have been referring to in The Lands Between. 😅
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You are a delightful and sweet lady.
Thank you for sharing the lore.
I hope that no-one mistreats you,
and that you have a joyous and fortuitous life.
@miss_chalice Why assume roderika cant see sites of Grace? hear me out please, the cloak only says she never recived guidence from Grace, that dosent mean she cant actually see Grace sites just that she isent guided to them... the devil is in the details as always with elden ring ,that seem to be slightly forgotten when talking about how she could get to the hold... but nevertheless great video just wanted to point that out 😊
I demand a Hewg focused video, purely to see you cosplay him.
WE demand brother
It’s criminal this doesn’t have more likes
I may consider it..... i like a challenge
@@miss_chalice 🫂🙂
Hahahaaaaaaa yessir
"I'm nothin' but a craven" *literally becomes probably the most useful character in the game*
She's nothing if not modest!!
@@miss_chalice oh 100%. She really is my favorite character because of her arc and how much she grew from start to finish. Tbh unprecedented for a FromSoft game and I can't help but wonder if George RR Martin had something to do with that
Roderika is probably my favorite fromsoft npc out of all their games. In a way, she's the anti-fromsoft npc. Rather then go hollow, fight you, or turn up as a corpse, she goes through a really great character arc.
It was always comforting to see her at the hold. By the end, she really did feel more like a companion that grew with you throughout the course of the game.
I'm glad they left her fate kind of ambiguous. The roundtable hold already survived one Erd tree burning. So, as long as you don't pick the frenzied flame ending, there's a chance she's ok.
That's really heartwarming to hear. I agree, she's a great companion that I can always rely on seeing whenever I return back to the hub. (Although I did get a bit scared when it got set on fire, that she may have been taken from us too soon).
Fromsoft could have very easily given her a morbid end - for example, she could have got captured and used for grafting. We may have seen a body part we recognised on one of the grafted scions. I shudder to imagine. But luckily they didn't do that!
@Miss Chalice that would have been so sad if they did that, but so on brand. Lol
I think that's why Roderika seems so unique for a fromsoft game. Her story begins with tragedy and then becomes much more optimistic.
Her, Torrent, and Melina are so comforting throughout the dark world.
But Master Hewg says, "The girl you brought here. She's crestfallen and can scarcely swing a blade..." This implies we're the one who brought her over to Roundtable Hold. I find that interesting.
Yes, this line only makes sense if we actually find the Chrysalids Memento and give it to Roderika before we kill Godrick or go into Liurnia, as either of those makes her go automatically to the Roundtable Hold without it being in response to our interaction with her. We're meant to fulfill her request to make the story make sense, even though we didn't really "bring her" there, did we. She must have told Hewg that it was because of us she came there.
Would have been real cute to have an interaction with Roderika at a site of grace holding her hand and taking her there. Or maybe even asking Melina to send her off. Oh well...
@@cross-eyedhollowyk melina technically being a spirit rodrika is probably the only one that sees melina even when she poofs invisible or whatever melina does when she fades away
Roderika makes a great early npc because it kinda feels like you're both losers of which no one expects much. But Torrent believes in you, and you give Roderika the memento reminding her those people believed in her. It feels like a nice friendship that makes you both better as you further her questline
It's also cool that at the end of it all you're basically the only two that make it alive and sane.
The Japanese text for the line "Worn by expatriated royalty" is "流離する王族の装束" where "流離する" means "to wander around a foreign land," making the direct translation for that line as "Cloak of the Wandering Royal" or "Wandering Royal Cloak." (The word is a synonym with the Rurouni in Rurouni Kenshin.) As such, that line by itself doesn't specifically reference forced expatriation or banishment.
But the other line translated as "the gift of a cloak made it easier for undesirables to be on their way" uses "厄介払い," which does have the connotation that the people staying behind are at least happy to see wanderer leave. The definition is "driving off a troublesome person, getting rid of a nuisance" and the phrase is used in the idiom for "good riddance."
In that manner, while the text doesn't directly imply formal banishment, whoever gave her the cloak was happy she left and the fact her lands has an official tradition for sending off royals does imply they do it often. That suggests the royals there are either unpopular with the populace or there's a lot of backstabbing among the royals themselves.
Edit: As a late update after replying to a comment below, the "流離" (pronounced either sasurai or ryuuri depending on usage) in the item description which is translated as "expatriated" in game also appears in a Japanese literature motif "貴種流離譚," (kishuryuuritan) which is a motif where a young hero/god has to leave their capital to fulfill a quest often under duress. It is possible FromSoftware choose this wording for the item description to allude to the fact that Roderika is in a comparable situation. The wiki for it is ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%B2%B4%E7%A8%AE%E6%B5%81%E9%9B%A2%E8%AD%9A for anyone interested.
Super helpful and very well put! Thank you for taking the time to explain this! I really like this insight!
And perhaps even her very notable cloak was a way to attract the attention of wrongdoers and even serve as a "gift" so the nobles would still feel a part of their heritage, as to make them not want to riot or revolt against their banishment.
流離する王族の装束 could be translated as Royalty In Disarray according to some automatic translators, that makes a lot of sense for once.
I wonder how it comes to that translation though x)
@@KaitN9 I rechecked a dictionary just to see, but I didn't find evidence of that usage, so at least I can't vouch for it, although perhaps someone else could. Although I did find an interesting connection that fits Roderika. The "流離" (ryuuri) in the item description which is translated as "expatriated" in game also appears in a Japanese literature motif "貴種流離譚," (kishuryuuritan) which is a motif where a young hero/god has to leave their capital to fulfill a quest often forced or at least under duress. Another description of it is along the lines of "the tale of the exile." In choosing to use ryuuri over the similar rurouni, FromSoftware must have intended to allude to that motif for Roderika. The wiki for it is ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%B2%B4%E7%A8%AE%E6%B5%81%E9%9B%A2%E8%AD%9A for anyone interested.
@@KaitN9 DeepL does have one of the better reputations for machine translations, so I am curious what data it has leads it to that translation. 王族の装束 (ouzoku no shouzoku) is just the words for royalty and the traditional attire worn by them. 流離 (sasurai or ryuuri) is wandering. Technically a wanderer is usually in disarray so maybe that sense is what leads DeepL into that translation.
The "why does that girl weep for me" always....always gets me teary eyed. Jesus....it just breaks me in pieces.
Imagine all that time passing, years, decades together to just forget her. I can't even imagine how she felt, but I know she shook it aside and her only goal was to protect him.
It's heartbreaking.
Watched it happen to my Grandfather and my Grandmother. Broke my mothers heart.
Oh sorry but there are Berserk spoilers discussed at 19:24 (my warning somehow disappeared and turned into the letter E hahahha) but yes please skip ahead to the next chapter if you don't want to get spoiled!!!
your thumbnails and cosplays for these always look so damn cool
Thank you!! I really enjoyed putting my all into trying to capture Roderika's aura for this video and thumbnail! So glad that you appreciate it :)
@@miss_chaliceyou look like a ghost in this one but you’re a very pretty and pale ghost lol
Very sweet little detail when your crimson hood vanished.
I feel really sorry for Roderika and how much of a burden she carries with her. But you gotta admire how well she handles it I her friendship with Master Hewg.
I really hope that by becoming Elden Lord we really save these two amazing beings. (I personally hope that for other characters as well)
Also I would love to see another lore video on Hewg.
Thank you, I'm glad you noticed that little swap out I did!
I agree, Roderika's determination is very admirable and I know she probably helped reassure Hewg whilst he struggled with his memory. Whatever happened to them, I'm glad they had each other through it :)
I totally agree! Master hewg deserves love more ❤
"Our friendly spirit tuna"
She went from being too afraid to move in Stormveil to being too courageous to run away from burning to death.
I think the guilt of abandoning her friends she came to the Lands Between with stuck with her and she refuses to do that again. Roderika is one of the truest and bravest characters we meet in Elden Ring.
About how roderika was able to use the grace to get to roundtable hold: my personal theory is that due to her ability for spirit tuning and her also being able to hear spirits & souls, maybe the grace or even marika herself called out to her and while she didnt SEE the grace, she HEARD it and thus was able to locate and use it.
When I first didn't see her at the shack and saw the roses I thought she died. I was so happy to see her at the hold
I feel like Roderika should tell you that you should give the Stormhawk Ashes to Nepheli Loux in some capacity. That part of Nepheli's quest is weirdly unintuitive, needing you to both decide to go down those stairs and know to give her this seemingly arbitrary item. And that part for some reason requires you to progress Roderika's quest, so she'd already be across from Hewg. Don't need to spell it out completely, maybe have her comment about Nepheli being downstairs or comment on the stormhawk ashes when you acquire them.
Very good point you put forward. And it would give us some more interactions which are always welcome. When is your interview with FromSoft again?
I literally got to the end of the game before I learned oh, there’s actually more to do with that weird Nepheli Loux chick? Lmao
@@andyghkfilm2287 The end of her questline was added in a patch, so it may not entirely be your fault
Roderika is such a sweetheart one of my favourite npcs in Elden ring for sure
This video was a trip. I honestly felt very moved by your presentation of Roderika’s
Journey, and all of the context adds a lot to the Elden Ring journey. Also holy moley has your list of Patreons grown! Congrats
It was a trip to make to be honest! But definitely a good trip haha
Thank you for enjoying my style and presentation. And yes! I'm super super grateful for all the support! Just unbelievable and a dream come true to be a professional lore lady!
I'm so sad I found your channel so late!! This was such a good video I love Roderika!
As a native Japanese speaker, the translation for the description of the Crimson Hood is mainly correct.
I would translate it like this:
"Gifted to those sent off to a journey with no mission.
Far, far away, to a journey from which they can never come home again.
In other words, a veiled way of getting rid of a nuisance."
Roderika is so good, I wish we got to see her fight like Renalla's boss fight, summoning a handful of spirits. It would've been moving to see her fight Godrick after gaining her confidence again(if you saved Godrick for later)
sadly you can't delay godrick, but would be really cool if we could summon her to help us fight Radagon/Marika
@@hrawwr what do you mean? You can go around the castle and come back later
@@hrawwrGodrick and Margit are optional xd
Digging the in game fit. Urumi + Hoslow's Petal Whip and the Blue Silver armor. Very cool. The cosplay was also awesome. :)
Thank you for noticing! I'm trying to improve my Elden Drip and wanted to try something sleek and silver. Appreciate your good eye!
The RUclips ad placement was incredible today. ‘So how does Roderika’s story end?’ ‘With Amazon’s back to school deals…’
I still don’t know if it’s intentional but your videos are perfect ASMR content as well as lore videos. I’ve replayed the Iji, Seluvis and Blaidd video like 20 times to fall asleep too lol
I always think she sounds like she could be a character in Elden ring they all speak in a slow soft breathy manner
10:23 the way you slid that sponsor in was so smooth 🤣
your pacing and delivery of explanation is delightfully easy to follow ty
I believe the spirit tuner that Hewg knew was Marika. As that’s the only character he has a relationship with. And I think roderika is a reflection of how Marika felt at one point.
Btw love the roderika with golden eyes. Marikas mischief :)
I thought the same, and marika is apparently a noble from another land as well
The only concrete thing we learn about their relationship is how he both worships and fears her. I like the idea he saw Marika before she became a self-serving god, that she actually cared back then. Before turning on people like Hewg.
I have a feeling it's Miquella. It's heavily implied Miquella was the owner of Torrent (especially with the DLC's announcement image) and Ranni gives you the 3 Wolves Spirits + Spiritcalling Bell saying it's from Torrent's previous owner... And in the Haligtree there are statues depicting Miquella and the 3 wolves. Seems like Miquella had some spirit tuning abilities and as far as we know he was truly loved by everyone around him. I think it makes more sense to have Hewg think fondly of Miquella than Marika because he seems to have a lot of anger and fear of her at this point (which is very justified).
Varre mentions that the "guidance of grace" is the rays of light shining from graces pointing in different directions. So the hood saying "rodericka was never once guided by grace" doesn't mean she couldn't see grace *at all*, it means she couldn't see it's guidance. He also mentions that we are "without an invitation to the roundtable hold", which I like to think rodericka had since she is royalty
I speak with Roderika basically every playthrough. She's sweet and develops quite the strong personality. I wish there was more.
The spirit tuner Hewg talks about is Marika. He's indebted to Marika. Rodarika reminds him of Marika. Even her name is similar to Marika's. It makes perfect sense that Marika is a spirit tuner, it's part of the reason she's riding Torrent in the DLC image.
Bit of a sidetrack, but there's a theory the DLC teaser depicts Miquella sitting on Torrent instead, which I find not that far fetched. He is eternally in a child's body, which at that point may have more feminine features
@@diomed96he’s also st. Trina who is “female?”
Lovely video and cosplay as always, been here for a lil while and glad to see you grow. Looking forward to seeing what lorevid/loreplays you delve into after you feel like there's not much else to cover left in elden ring. Keep doing what you do, that sponsored ad read was smooth af too. Edit: Just saw the bit about the cloak removal too that was a good touch aswell!
Thank you so much!! And thank you for your continued support. I am actually planning some other non-Elden Ring LorePlays ohoho and an excited to show you in time.
P.s. thank you for noticing that! I was wondering how many people would 😁
There's a lot I love about your vids, but I've especially noticed your writing skills lately. Every video you make is better written and edited than the one before. I appreciate how much work you're putting to continuously level up as an essayist.
BREAD 🍞 FOR LIFE !!!!!!!
This game is truly something else, and the fact that people like you and Vaati narrate the thoughts of the community in such a good way it makes it even better
Miss Chalice, thank you for you’re hard work, we all appreciate it. You’re an incredible, wonderful, amazing, and awesome person. ☺️😊😄😃🤩😍 ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
You're too kind, thank you for watching and listening to me. It's a pleasure to make these videos for you all :)
I think Roderika can freely go to the round table hold because she is a spirit tuner, and I see the roundtable hold as sort of the spirit of the erdtree, thats why melina can take us there as she is, burned and bodiless
Another beautiful video. Your work just keep getting better. Sad I passed over these stories but glad you're here to retell them.
I recently discovered this channel just at the same time I started my first blind playthrough of elden ring, and these videos are making my experience SO much better. Thank you so much for these videos, they are really great!!! ❤❤❤
Love the amount of effort and details you put into your cosplay and videos. Like when you appeared without the red hood on when speaking about Roderika doing it.
This video teared me up girl! Thank you for making another sweet angel like Rya! 😭❤ it’s so sad she remained staying with hewg. You look amazing with blonde omg! 🥰 I’d defo love to see you do melina and gloam eyed queen lore! You dressing up melina would be so beautiful 😻
Wow, your cosplays are geting better and better, and the way you tell all those stories is always so nice, I'm really glad I found your channel ☺
"つまりは体のよい厄介払いだ"
I just wanted to add some nuance as this part by itself means "a nice way of saying getting rid of a nuisance".
I would translate the whole text as :
"This is given to those who are sent far away, on a journey to never return.
A diplomatic way of getting rid of a nuisance."
It coud mean that Roderika has been exiled, but without directly implying it.
As she was able to enter Stormveil Castle, I would even consider that she could have been sent to Stormveil by her relatives to marry Godrick. It was a pretty common thing to do in the Middle Age.
In her homeland, there must be some conspiracy within the royal family itself in order to inherit the throne or something like that.
Nuances in Japanese are usually difficult to translate so there may be a lot of different takes and this is mine. I believe it rejoins ET Smith take.
Loved the video and cosplay. Thank you for your hardwork!
After listening to some of the things Hewg tells us I believe that he might have been Mikella's or Marika's blacksmith in the past. Ranni already told us that Torrent was Mikella's companion, a spirit... Who knows maybe the DLC gives more answers
The juxtaposition of the awful things she describes and the whimsical manner of her speech made her one of the most endearing NPCs for me right away. Her gentleness is even communicated through gameplay, in a way as she can help struggling Tarnished almost as much as Hewg.
That ad read transition was smooth!
They used the grafting imagery a lot in the marketing. It's really striking. I wish that in game, Limgrave had more environmental storytelling with regards to Godrick's men hunting down new tarnished as they arrive in the lands between, like you can play through the region and not really understand that Tarnished are arriving at the chapel of anticipation and immediately being captured by Godrick's scions, or that Limgrave is an especially hostile placed for Tarnished at all. A little detail like Kaiden riders having a lasso move where they immobilize you for a second would have been a subtle hint that they're capturing our kind, dead or alive.
And I know it's a big game with a lot of moving parts already, but not being able to participate in a little grafting yourself seems like a BIG missed opportunity to me.
Small theory I'd like to share, the spirit tuner that Hewg referrers to might be either Renna(?) the Snow Witch or even Queen Rennala from how Roderika shares similar shades of teal blue eyes. Rennala's eyes were originally blue and Ranni's doll was modeled after her teacher; with Ranni either learning spirit summoning from her mother or her teacher🤔
What a lovely story. This game is so rich and thoughtful in ways you don't expect. Great video, i loved the close ups of characters and the cosplay of course!
Rodericka is one character that deserves to be protected in the FromSoft games. No motive, just trying to atone for something that wasn't even her fault and eventually having the mad courage yo look after her mentor as the world burnt around. She's bloody awesome
I wonder if the traveling noble set that we find later on is tied in any way to her as it's basically the same outfit and what the different color cloak implies
Another banger, you make me realise more with every video how much I just ran through the game without paying attention lol
Omg… I think Fromsoftware used you as inspiration for Roderika! You and her are so soft spoken and how Roderika seems to have such a kind soul and only based on what I’ve seen of your videos, you seem to have a kind soul as well. You startled me at the beginning of this video because I thought you were Roderika lol. I really enjoy your videos. You put so much work and effort into your content and it clearly shows. Thank you!
I started playing elden ring two months ago and yesterday I burned down the erdtree after defeating Malekith. Now here I'm as yt suggested me your lore video. I really love your lore explanation and also your cosplay :)
So glad I found this channel, I love seeing lore, and learning small bits I never saw on my playthroughs
Amazing video about one of my favorite characters in the game. I was so sad about their ending. Here's to hoping that our endings can save them before it's too late.
I thank thee, Lore Mommy
This is interesting. I somehow started with your channel with the Hewg video. I have gotten to learn so much that goes over my head just playing, but also randomly watching these videos and seeing how YOU have grown with the channel. I will forever remember you as our Cosplay Elden LOREd.
You know, part of me wonders if Grafting originally started as some sort of attempt to return to the Crucible. The Crucible is all about wild, chaotic growth, right? Feathers, scales, horns, extra limbs. It's as if those who once worshipped it were working backwards to try and get back to this time.
Oh my god it all just clicked:
There’s one more meaning to “expatriate” which was right under our noses. Literally right from Latin. “Patria” is fatherland but pater means father. Her father likely cast her out per your observations but Hewg took her in like his own daughter.
AND (maybe)
Have you heard the theory of how Hewg may have once led a servant uprising based on the description of the stone brick hammer and the hammer? In my own mind narrative, he was spared by Marika herself but the “deal” was that he would have to forge a weapon to slay a god. This was probably toward the end of Marika’s reign where she realized the flawed golden order and the misbegotten were actively discriminated against.
But Hewg only really talks about two people- Marika and Roderika… So if that’s the case, could Roderika’s eyes remind him of Marika’s?
It’s a weird dynamic between Hewg and Marika. She forced him to live a life of eternal smithing, but made him promise to smith a weapon to slay a god. He is terrified of her, but actively prays to her. SOOOO MUCH to unpack!!!!
And yes awesome detail when you took off your hood. Your drip is second to none :)
@17:56 this is why I adore these videos. I saw this while playing and didn't think anything about it. There's so many little details that I've missed without even realizing it.
Aye.. I was sold on the cosplay, but the voice puts it all over the top for me. Love it.
From what Hewg said "The girl you brought here.." i guess that the player told her about the roundtable and probably showed her how to get to it, just like Melina showed us.
“Prepare to cry.?” Anyone? No, just me? That’s cool, I’m going to quietly sob now…
My theory for Roderika is she was already dead when we met her. We never know how she survived from that attack plus it is not make sense to me that how she is alive while her all men dead. We can't also attack her, maybe this is the reason. She is also maidenless, how she can go to the Roundtable Hold? We only can go to Roundtable Hold with Melina which she is also a spirit. If the Roundtable Hold is in a place that physically unreal so this should be how she went there. Morever she can hear the spirits both her men and dung eater's cursed ones.
Plus info, it was the Ranni that Hewgh mentioned to us about the spirit tuner he knew long ago.
I get a feeling Roderika may’ve travelled with a sibling or someone similar, she gives you Aurelia which gives me a theme of sisterhood as well as the blue variation of the hood
I just watched a video on Melina, which showed a cutscene from the Lord of Frenzied Flame ending. The eye that is always closed is open, and she has a blue eye. Perhaps she is the one who Hewg is thinking of, especially since she gives you Torrent, which is summoned by spectral whistle.
The first Erd tree sapling that we run into has no seed at its base. Later at the round table hold Roderika gives us this seed. This means that she was at the area and would explain why she knows about white mask Varree
I don't know if this has been mentioned but it is worth taking a look at the Navy Cloak. It essentially says they same things as the Crimson Cloak except that the Navy Cloak implies that the royals (nobels?) given these cloaks were sent away because they could see the guidance of grace. Roderika's cloak specifically says she never did.
This gives us some things that we can extrapolate and some things we can speculate on. Firstly we can assume that it is a fairly common practice to send royals that can see the grace of gold off, with an entourage, to the lands between. Presumably they are expected to attempt to become Elden Lord. We can also assume that it is not a punishment but more like a calling (even if you might not want it).
Roderika represents an anomaly to this idea. She can't see the guidance of grace. There could be several reasons for this. The first reason is that she lied about seeing that grace of gold. She could have sought the potential prestige of it or perhaps did not consider the implications. The Roderika that we meet does not appear to be that kind of person, more inclined to just accept that she was a bit useless, but she had just been through an ordeal that would have shaken her to her core. The second reason could be that the nobility would use this tradition to send unwanted family members away. If, as Roderika implies, she was a bit useless this could be reason enough to send her away. It could be that she had transgressed against some taboo. It could even have to do with her connection to spirits. That she already has some spirit ashes would suggest that she had them before she came to the lands between. How she talks about them also implies that she did not consider the idea of hearing the musings of spirits to be weird. She seems quite open about what she hears and this could have been her downfall. A child talking about hearing things that are not there is not really a problem but in a young lady it might be embarrassing. However it happened we can assume she was sent to the lands between on the pretense that she could see the grace of gold. More importantly her men would have been told that she could.
Her men may have been fully convinced that they were escorting the next Elden Lord. I however don't think so. They may not have been fully aware of how much they were pawns in the machinations of nobels but they could probably tell that a potential Elden Lord Roderika was not. But it is clear that they were loyal to her and cared for her besides mere loyalty. They wanted her to thrive. I just hope that much as she moved past the lose of her men that she can move past the lose of Hewg. I hope she changes her mind and leaves the Roundtable Hold.
In many ways i feel like the ending of this story is needlessly sad. I can understand not wanting to uproot Hewg in the state he is in but she could at least take all her character progression and go out into the world. It is a poor way to repay Hewg by dying with him. It would have been much better if she had shown that she intended to leave though not just yet. A line like 'I will stay as long as I can. It breaks my heart but he would not have wanted me to stay.' would have fit very well to her new confidant self.
Roderika finding the courage to visit her lost men is so lovely. Even if Godrick is gone, there's still a castle full of danger to face in order to get there.
Prawnbro is another that seems to follow the grace even though he can’t see it. Maybe intuition can guide you along this path as well
Interesting how Hewg is so connected to the roundtable. It was like he was created the same time as the Roundtable hold
When interacting with NPCs, we don't hear our Tarnished speak but in many occasions it can be inferred that perhaps the NPCs hear a response from our Tarnished when interacting with them--while at other times NPCs seem to interpret from our actions as to what sort of message we're trying to convey to them.
When Roderika is first found at the Stormhill Shack--and after speaking about grafting, her men, the spider and the chrysalids--Roderika asks if we're all on our own, learns that we are going to Stormveil Castle, and ponders as to whether the 'one in the white mask' had enticed us into doing so, suggesting that Roderika had also spoken to Varré at one point or another.
Varré knows all about the Tarnished (as a group of people, not specifically the player) and understands that without the guidance of a Finger Maiden and ultimately the capacity to turn Runes into strength or receive an invitation to the Roundtable Hold--we are unlikely to be able to accomplish anything of note. Varré suggests that if we were to challenge Godrick, despite being maidenless, we might catch the attention of the Roundtable Hold and receive said invitation that way. Varré is very surprised that we managed to the reach the Roundtable Hold despite being maidenless and having not yet challenged Godrick, as we have the ability to reach the Roundtable Hold once Melina has finished 'vetting/testing us' (which I think only happens after we've fought Margit once and or have rested at a Site of Grace in Caelid).
Roderika likely learnt everything she needed to about who the Tarnished are, who Maidens are and their purpose, and what the Roundtable Hold is and represents from Varré when they spoke. Its possible that when Roderika says to us "You're all on your own, are you? And heading to Stormveil Castle? Enticed by the one in the white mask, I suppose," she is speaking from experience--having spoken to Varré and been enticed alongside her men to challenge Godrick in order be noticed by the Roundtable Hold and potentially receive an invitation.
Her men crossed the sea and 𝒇𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒉𝒆𝒓, only to have their legs, arms and even heads taken and grafted to the spider.
Roderika likely learned about the Roundtable Hold from Varré, and only goes to the Roundtable Hold after we ourselves have already likely been there. In fact our player character is likely the one who escorted Roderika to the Roundtable Hold as Hewgs even first refers to her as "The girl you brought here..." when telling us about Roderika being crestfallen and mentioning her resemblance to the Spirit Tuner he once knew.
This is sooo good! There is so much in this game to unravel without some help. I just finished my first play through, and I know I missed so much content. I was curious about Rodericka and this answered so much.
im so glad you still do this the grace of Miss Chalice
It's so funny how I missed her and didn't know she existed until I googled how to upgrade my summons, crazy
That momento is a Bloodborne throwback if I ever saw one. In fact Roderika as a whole reminds me of the sidequest of the little girl in Yharnam who gets eaten by the pig and we recover her bloody ribbon after we tell her a safe place to go to. Then the sister cleaned it up and we put ot on the "little ones". To put more plainly, I subscribe to the concept of reversed stories here and there in Elden Ring as a contrast to previous games.
I always miss out on her quest. I greet her first. Once I go outside of Limgrave prior to beating Stormvale, she automatically ends up in Roundtable Hold.
this thumbnail was really next level in terms of setting and atmosphere. and the video was also amazing once again :D
i don't know if i am possibly reaching a bit too far with that comparison, but in my head i have always drawn connections to roderika and quelana from dark souls 1.
both are crestfallen, both are paralyzed by the shock when catastrophy struck, both suffer from survivor's guilt after being the only ones who even managed to live relatively unscathed after the respective events they were subjected to.
roderika watching her men get torn apart and grafted to the abominations of stormveil castle being unable to stop them and quelana fleeing izalith when her entire family was engulfed by the flames of chaos that turned them into these distorted beings.
and both are relevant to the player in helping them master a certain set of skills, spirit tuning for roderika and pyromancy for quelana.
and despite how tragic both their tales begin, both of them are eventually able to overcome their guilt. roderika with the help of hewg teaching her spirit tuning and giving her purpose as well as something she can finally consider herself to be proficient at. and she is then willing to perish alongside the one person (aside from the player i guess) who made her into what she is. and for quelana, though it is a bit more cryptic, in dark souls 3 you can find her tome in the izalith ruins on a corpse next to something that looks like the fair maidens body. meaning after all these years she overcame her guilt and managed to return home to her sisters. it is very bittersweet in both cases.
i really like the way fromsoft crafts these character stories that revolve around psychological conditions. it makes these characters just that much more relatable and organic. makes you really feel for them and in some cases even relate to them in a way. and i think the story of roderika, going from a dejected maiden to someone proficient in the rare art of spirit tuning because someone was able to lift her up and give her both purpose and a reason to keep going is another one of those cases.
anyways, once again great video. can't wait to see more in the future :D
To comment on the translation of the Crimson Hood, I asked my sister, she knows Japanese (has lived there a couple of years):
"They send you on a journey to far away lands without a mission, those kinds of journeys from which you never return twice. Meaning, a good way of getting rid of someone who is bothersome."
Note: she translated it into Spanish and I'm translating it into English, so there might be loss of meaning.
That’s interesting! Bothersome could be related to beserk in a way
@@darlingxluxii7977 It's not a berserk reference. It's just a way of saying 'someone who's annoying'.
It's basically saying, if that translation is correct 'They send you on an aimless mission you can't complete, so you never return. A good way to get rid of an annoying person.'
Nah, families hating certain children for no reason is understood regardless of country.
I like Roderika. She eerily reminds me of Farnese' character in Berserk. Started as a devout crazy lady touching herself in front of a fire (probably for coping mechanism) turned to a prodigal mage.
Awesome video as always! :) I tiny ftip I have for your sound design: you can cut away low background frequencies in lamost all audio programs wich would get rid of the slight rumble in the background when you speak. nothing of big import, just an idea :)
Your videos do such a good job of bringing out the psychological and emotional aspects of the characters. You really made me see a depth to Roderika that I definitely missed. I love all types of Elden Ring lore analysis, but this is a refreshing approach after watching so many videos that focus on the more grandiose aspects of the game. Looking forward to more ^_^
If my Land of Reeds Samurai(Jinsoma)could talk to Rodericka, he would thank her and restore her royal status. (Hey I’m Elden Lord. Who’s gonna tell me otherwise) Rodericka spirit tuning my mimic tear and Tiche to the max helped me through some of the toughest bosses in the lands between.
Even the jelly fish😊
Thank you for this one Miss Chalice. Rodericka is special to me. She reminds me of my sister who I lost about 8 years ago. And you even made the character link to Farnese! Chef’s kiss 👌🏿
I randomly read a long time ago that when a silver smith is purifying silver, the smith knows the purifying pricess is complete because they can see their own reflection in it perfectly. This holds a bit of a parallel in my mind to this character in this quest. Great vid thankyou for posting
I think another thing to consider about her getting rid of her cloak is that it’s a parting gift for the undesirable but now she’s been accepted into a new home and no longer undesirable.
I just discovered your channel and I’m hooked. I already watched both of your Witcher 3 lore videos. Your voice is absolutely beautiful.
Thank you so much and welcome in! So glad to hear it, I am planning to do some more Witcher 3 videos soon :)
Interesting how Ranni gives you a spirit tuning bell from Torrents previous owner, one of the empyrean children. Although empyrean, they’re also Neuman. I wonder if Rodericka is a Neuman as well, and if that somehow leads to why she can get to the hold
The funniest thing about her to me is that when I first encountered her I was tryna use her to figure out what enemy type Id be facing in the castle. She was very misleading, yet not
The quest is short, but somehow Roderika and Hughs story has way more meaning to me than the main quest, when I think back on the story of this game, I tear up, why must they burn up? Why did we have to burn the tree, that was bringing people purpose, a common goal and aspiration? Was Gideon, awful as he might be, right all along? A tarnished cannot become lord. Not because they are unable, but because of the consequences. Gideon wanted to preserve the comraderie of the tarnished, the eternal struggle, despite understanding and knowing too much, he found beauty and contentment with the state of the world.
Why is it raining in my room. Thank you for sharing your thoughts Chalice.
The cosplay looks amazing....the hood removal and minute details are a fine touch to the lore....thanks :)
9:10 I would like to disagree on this....the guidance of grace is manifestation of the guidance offered by the Greater Will, and I would not consider it extending so lightly. What might be the case for Roderika is that every tarnished is said to have a maiden and that maiden might have teleported Roderika to the Roundtable Hold once, before said maiden died.
10:05 you just can't skip an ad after this lead up :D
I wanna hear Hewg saying "Be gone with you. You'll spoil my focus."
I don’t think the round table is under the erd tree as it is shown outside the map but rather it is simply a projection for the greater wills subject to gather and spread its influence across the lands between
I love how you said my name at the end (Calmar) 😁
Good video as usual!
I like the way you show the item descriptions on screen!
It's kind of the more obvious thing but a cloak is something a traveler uses, for sun and rain. Giving it up represents her intent to stay at the Hold.
16:00 Now that you mention it, that cloak's absence _is_ a double-take in its own right.
I love how at 15:57 you also take off the red hood to match Roderika in the story, super clever :)
Hewg lore video!!!❤ I can already see it in front off me. 🙌Chalice-Hewg🙌 Cosplay of the year😅
Taking your cloak off when roderika takes hers off was a great choice
I love how there's a chapter of this video called "touch grace". When you need to get out, you touch grass. When you have touched enough grass, you need to touch grace. Maybe that's the eternal cycle they have been referring to in The Lands Between. 😅
Hewg and Roderika are my favorite npcs in this game. I love their dynamic and you can tell how much they really care for each other.
Letting go of the red cloak mid video was a very good touch