@@miss_chalice There are see through blindfolds. That could be a cool thing to use for future blindfold cosplays if you're interested. Either way you're doing great!
The flesh melding line also explains how easily Godrick was able to not only graft others but the dragon’s head to himself so quickly, being of Shaman descent
In fact, all of Marika’s Radagon’s children “meld” harmoniously. Rykard was able to bind himself to the great serpent, Godwyn’s body melded all across the lands, etc
This is so true!! Also, how Miquella embeds himself in the Haligtree. Very similar to what this Grandmother seemed to have done in the Shaman Village 😳
Omg, absolutely adore the level of detailed care you put in not only with the cosplay, but also with getting footage of your character in the same outfit.
@@miss_chalice Miss Chalice what are your thoughts on trying the dlc lore with Metyr, Mother of Fingers? because there is this item thing with ringed finger thing, the whole nox banishment with finger slayer blade though some people say its Rykard's so i don't really know which is which so i wonder what would you think of it?
17:33 reminds me of that tumblr post "A desperate cleric slamming every healing spell so hard to bring someone back to life the ground is forced to grow plants and flowers around the body." I shudder to hold back tears as I imagine Marika desperately trying to revive her village, but there's no one. Gives me conniptions.
@@Darth_BatemanMessmer is more complicated, It's common for there to be visions of the Erdtree being burned according to he catch flame incantation and Messmer was crazy powerful (he is as strong as a great rune empowered demigod despite not having a great rune) so she probably believed that he was propheciesed to betray her.
I didn't realize Diallos drops a numen rune, that's honestly brilliant storytelling, even tho his ending is kinda sad, it gives the entire cycle with the jars a sort of brighter tone
Indeed. That’s why I always carry the zoom tool in all souls game. You get to really inspect the details. Specifically the building art and sculptures. You can learn n so much (like the order of churches and which period they came from. Marika’s arm position, which ones have double braids, the geography of where they are. And once you find the center of the lands between, it really puts the entire path of war in clear view. Pure art
An overlooked detail on the Divine Gate is that the Hornsent seem to be intentionally crawling up and creating it. The ones on the outside layer and scrambling as high and they can get while the ones on the the inner layers are tucked in as much as they can, shoulder to shoulder, to create a strong foundation for the others to climb up. They were led, probably by Marika, to sacrifice themselves
It definitely seems like the Gate and it's evirons are made out of petrified flesh. Perhaps the gate needed to be made out of living flesh to properly operate?
Sometimes, I think about the furnace golems possibly being designed to be Marika and Messmer’s “jars” for the Hornsent: A massive, animated entity powered by living beings stuffed inside it to keep it active.
@@giokhurcilava3259 Filled with (literal) burning rage and hatred at the world that hurt her and her people so, and a burning desire (😏) to purge those who had existed since time immemorial who had the power dynamic and ability to cleanse the world of those who would commit these crimes, but didnt do so or committed them themselves for whatever their reasons. Lots of cyclical parallels, Ice Giants and Fire Giants (latter an enemy of Marika's Golden Order), Dragons and Drakes (latter enemy), etc..... Holds up very well slotting in
In addition: If we take the ancient JudeoChristian, Buddhism/Taoism, Hinduism/Vedic, and Alchemical (similar but separate groupings from both religions and others) sources we know Miyazaki loves and regularly utilizes as a core for his worlds, then most reference where fire both cleanses, purifies, and brings about new growth - be it local volcanic action, using a Crucible on metalz, or the cosmic cycles Miyazaki loves to make, it makes even more sense. Marika targets every group connected to Fire and Rebirth, condemning them to an eternal torture within beings where their own beliefs are proven (by design) to be an unending hell
Now that makes more sense why they went with the wickerman aside from flames. They're just like living jars except they consume their contents by immolation rather than storing them.
It's possible that Marika realised the horror of what she had done for both revenge and in the name of the greater will. That would explain why she banished those that would become the tarnished only to call them back later, and shatter the elden ring; she knew her rule had to end after all the atrocities she had caused, so she primed things to bring about that end.
Bruh this cosplay is insane. I didn’t even recognize who you were in my sub box without checking the channel name. The shadowing for depth on the forehead is great as well.
Thank you for the vegan pot take! It's something I haven't heard anyone else latch onto yet. Also, the connection between the pots and the gate may be significant! Shadow of the Erdtree is essentially a story about the cycle of exploitation and violence. The tragedy being Marika's inability to see how her own actions echo the violence and injustice inflicted on her own people. Makes one wonder if everything is just walls, pain, and vengeance...
Great video, as always🙂. Merika's story is a perfect example how the circle of violence never ends when the victims get their bloody revenge and become the oppressors. The DLC made Merika feel like a human being.
Marika represents the spiritual (circle) and Radagon represents the Physical (square) of the Vetruvian Man. As such, Lands Between represents physically dominant and powerful beings, whereas the shadow lands represent the dark spiritual entities and influences that operate “in the shadows” so to speak
yea there is something there to what you are saying but i still think marika had a physical body and would switch between radagon and her self (radagon having his own personalty and wants)
The jars being "better than the people in them" to me comes from the fact that, aside from the Shamans, it's largely prisoners being stuffed into jars.
The Hornsent speak of the great betrayal of Marika upon her ascension into the Godhood. The shamans were not different from other prisoners in their eyes - they punished Marika's people for her sin... And when Marika found what happened, she started her crusade
wicked cosplay, as always. I think maybe what was being conveyed with diallos's numen rune was either he's of a more direct lineage to marika than most other tarnished OR that perhaps by defending the jars with his life that he had been granted one of the highest forms of grace by marika, fractured as she may be she still seems to have some influence on the outside world through the sites of grace
I have a few comments and things to consider. I shall list them out here. Be warned, it is a long post *1.* The "shamans" as described in the large pot helm are indeed a localization change. The word used is different from the word used by the Shaman race, and signifies that it was done by some sort of shrine priest. I believe Lost Protagonist went over it in one of his videos. *2.* The Gate of Divinity were probably not Shaman bodies. Look closer, the bodies that make up the gate are horned. Those are Hornsent bodies and, considering Marika's behavior, she probably made it herself. This makes her more reprehensible since mashing together bodeis to create divinity is the same thing the Hornsent did to her, so she did unto them. *3.* On the "Made better than their innards" and the fact that the people in the jars are called "the condemned" and the fact that they are made in in "gaols" explicitly, I don't think Shamans were the people originally meant for the Jar. Rather, the fact that other hornsent prisoners, such as the Lamenter and those two Curseblade, are also in these Gaols implies that the original use of the Jars was a form of capital punishment for criminals in Hornsent society. In short a way for the Hornsent to execute the condemned while also still making use of their bodies and not letting their wasted lives go to waste by society. Taking those who wronged others and society, and turning them into friendly saintly beings. An interesting practice...at first. Until they discover the Shaman and how their flesh accelerated the Jar process. Upon this discovery, they twisted the practice and began to hunt down the Shamans to facilitate the melding of in the jars. *4.* One could argue that the practice of Jar creation isn't that unusual compared to other similar practices. The Tutelary Deities gather together spirits and their essences to create the Spirit Ash, so one could easily see the Jars as a meaty bastardization of the practice. The cycle of life and death, taken into mortal hands. *5.* This does raise a lot of questions abnou the Jars in the base game. If you look closer, the Jars in The Lands Between and the ones in the Shadow Lands are actually different, especially the designs on their lids. The ones in the base game have a specific Erdtree design on their lids, wheras the ones in the Shadowlands have a more generic knot design that is associated with the Hornsent. This implies that the Jars in the Lands Between are a newer creation, or at the very least were given new lids and decals by the Erdtree Empire. Yet most Jar People we find are in and around Liurnia, not Altus, including Jarburg. Curious that. Plus we know that many physicks made by the perfumers used Jar shards as ingredients. So clearly there is some exploitation of the Jars withing Marika's nation, hence why they've fled to Liurnia and many can even be found in the employ of the Lucarians in their school. Further, if Jars were still being made after Marika's rise to power, then depending on who was doing the Jaring that places a lot of dirt on someone's hands. *6.* There is still the question of why there are large jars in and around the Lesser Erdtrees. Perhaps the Jars were used as fertalizer to raise and grow the Lesser Trees suring the time of the Shattering. There's also the question of what the giant jar in Caelid is doing, epsecially since we know with the restored map that the arena there would've been smack dab in the middle of Dragon country. *7.* As to the Hornsent to resented the crimes of their own people and nation, more than just the one Potentate I believe that there is implication there were more who may have even assisted in Marika's fight. I can't remember the video or who did it, but one loretuber posited the idea that the Banished Knights may have originally been of the Hornsent civilization and assisted the Crusade, until they were all gathered up in one place after the war and massacred by Gaius on Messmer's order, and the ones in teh base game are either those who were already away from the main group, or were spared when O'niel made the deal that resulted in him diving up his leg. Hence why their armor has horned motifs and why O'niel uses Storm powers in his fight like the Dancing Lion. Which makes Marika's betrayal and pogrom of their people all the more bitter and galling.
One thing! The Jars being in Liurnia specifically, always rang to me that they were escaping the Golden Order. Remember, the Carians beat back the influence of the GO and were essentially their own, seperate party, one free of their influence. So if the Jars ever wanted a safe haven, that's where they'd go. Compare the Jars found there to the ones shoved in a corner, near Godrick's boss room in Stormveil. Those Jars were likely used for his horrific grafting process and were not there by choice, hence why they're huddled together in a corner, probably fearful of the cruel Godrick. But yeah, I've always interpreted their Liurnia presence as one of escape!
You can even craft a Hefty Furnace Pot using the same cookbooks written by that Greater Potentate which could imply that they helped Messmer’s forces by writing cookbooks that would result in the creation of the furnace golems.
@@Genasidal with how insular the Carians are I wouldnt bet on it. Nor are they portrayed as protectors, preceptors (serving the carian royal fam) being particularly sketchy with the puppets and all
@@EA_Kar All very true, but I never particularly meant that they themselves grant the Jars protection, as much as they naturally keep the Golden Order out. Think of it this way: look where Jarburg actually is. It's a place completely untouched by Raya Lucaria or the Carians, despite literally being right under the Carians nose. I do agree that the humans there would likely destroy the jars all the same, but they managed to find not only a safe haven against the Carians/Raya Lucaria, but also have massively lowered their chances of being discovered by the Golden Order, due to being in the Carian's home region. Effectively, you could think of them as a "natural defence" from their enemies, whilst themselves not actually being in any way allied to the jars. With magic-related pots being in abundance and used by the Cuckoos, it's practically confirmed they'd use any discovered jars the exact same as the Golden Order. Only, unlike people like Godrick, they're not actively seeking them out. Which is why I believe Liurnia was the best, logical location for the pots to go. Far less dangerous than Caelid, far less hunted and used then on Altus and definitely not used for grafting like in Limgrave. Of course... If you see the Jarburg questline all the way through, it's true to say that not even this will truly keep them out. But, you can't say it wasn't for a lack of the Jars trying!
My personal theory about the mark on the forehead is that it is the mark of the Crucible, as it does take the shape of what looks like a tree. And since the hornsent worshipped the crucible, I think it wouldnt be a far fetch. On top of that, the Crucible is referred to as the evolutionary melding of all forms of life, so in a symbolic way the mark is placed on the victims as they are doomed to meld in a Crucible-esque fashion.
Aren’t misbegottens, akin to beastmen, linked to the Crucible, which Hornsents are also linked to, and since Marika hates anything related to the Hornsent/Crucible, it would make sense how they are treated
It's entirely possible, given the long line and history of noble families, that the Hoslows participated in some way with the jars. After all, "The tale of House Hoslow is told in blood."
That point about the music in the shaman village is really interesting. The music in this game is exceptionally well done and i think has so many layers and meanings to it- i think its an aspect allways worth bearing in mind.
The line 'only the kindness of gold, without order' makes me think that music is Marika's theme, given Radagon's title is 'of the golden order' and his theme is the other half of the main theme. Makes the DLC story trailer interesting as Marika's theme gains hints of the Elden Beast's theme, perhaps Fromsoft's way of telling us Radagon came after her ascension?
Remember reading some theories about how the whole jar-making process is an attempt by the horsent to kinda recreate the Crucible. "The Crucible of was the divine essence that became the Erdtree and the place where all life energy was once blended together". So maybe the plan was just to keep making jars bigger and bigger? And mix them until there is only 1 massive jar left? Also something about the word crucible meaning melting pot, wich seems to fit the whole jar-full-of-flesh idea
To make a dragon/giant sized saint to contend with the dragon elden lord maybe? or their god, though we dont know if they were big but the Nox&friends were reeeeal set on making a Big boy for a lord/god
Great video! I'm glad to see someone talking about the connection between the caterpillar mask and the omenkiller physicks/masks. It felt like a clear parallel between Marika and the Hornsent as she was becoming more like the people she reviled, and was an interesting parallel in looking at how people make themselves comfortable with carrying out slaughter. Also this is genuinely one of your best cosplays, the makeup is so perfectly freaky and captures the feeling of seeing those jar innards for the first time! Perfect halloween costume too. Imagine passing out candy from a big stone jar dressed like that!
Dialos dropping the Numen rune is quite curious. I wish we’d have more answers, but as always that’s one of the fun things about Fromsoftware game lore is how we are left to speculate
The song in Shaman village is one of my favorites, you get a sense of what Marika was feeling when what happened to her people happened being the last sitting there, planting a seed of hope. The intro song being Radagon could show what he added to his life when he was created
Surely the shaman grandmother is a reference to GRR Martin’s GoT lore of the three eyed raven? Shaman’s were most likely originally merged with trees where they become seers. So when the horn sent found out about this, they experimented with different beings to merge with the shamans
Another excellent lore video! I agree with your suggestion that Marika's Shaman characteristics is what enabled her to merge with Radagon, and I believe Miquella inherented the ability
The music seems to suggest that the merger happened after her ascension. Her half of the main theme plays during her ascension in the trailer and shaman village whereas Radagon's half only plays during his battle.
@@blizzardgaming7070 My personal theory puts the merger after her marriage to him. I think that he was his own man, clawed his way to the top, and when Marika started showing her doubts, the Fingers picked the most faithful-to-the-Order man they could find, which was Radagon, and forced him on her.
When Dead flesh get put into the jars, their souls were at peace already so the Living Jars developed a more innocent/pure personality, as if new soul have been reborn into the dead flesh. I can see though, that the Hornsent wanted to hack this process by stuffing the jar with tortured Living flesh instead. This might also have to do with the Coffin Stone practice, where the Hornsent sent most of their dead's to the Coffin Stone. so there aren't as many dead for them to be stuff into the jars, leading them to hunt other living flesh.
You should have looked closer. I've noticed that one of the bodies in the gates of divinity had horns so it's made of horsent bodies those that Mesmer's army killed. That is why while Markia walks the stairs it's still fresh... that is just IMO
Haven't finished watching yet but I'm surprised how few people have brought up the possibility that Marika was created as a jar saint. Possibly the only successful fusion/ascension. And that's why she housed so many different aspects of life, animals, and powers.
Really great video, I love the vegan jar mention. And I love that you mentioned there are similarities between jarburg and shaman village. I wonder so much about the jars because the hornsent pushed living beings in the jars but the ones like Alexander seem to only have dead warrior remains (and we find them in catacombs a lot). Not to mention so many around erdtrees! The popular theory is that they were meant to take remains to erdtrees for burial but that's not stated anywhere. I do think thats a cool theory but every theory just leaves me wanting more! The costume is wonderful very eerie and my favorite one you've made yet!!
When I first found the shaman village, the golden sapling and the braid, my first thought was that this was where Marika did something similar to Miquella, divesting herself of a piece of herself. In this case, I believe she divested herself of her kindness, leaving it in the only place that deserved her kindness. It would help explain her actions afterwards, which seem extreme especially for someone who seemingly embodied kindness in her past.
Can we talk about the fact that our characters in the game are exactly the same as the jars? We kill people and stuff their "gold" (i.e. life energy) inside ourselves, in order to get stronger. We're the same. Their way is just more honest. I think this was a deliberate parallel that the devs wanted us to think about.
I really think the origins of the warrior jars and jar village we find in the base game is on the same level is the origin of Rya - born out of something horrible and terrifying, even disgusting to a degree. Also I have this theory on how the shamans were used as a "punishment" on criminals, to fuse with the criminal as an attempt to cleanse them of their sins and thereby turn them into "saints". It is a wicked way to punish a person but also really dark to force a whole clan of people to be used as some sort of guillotine. And when the deed is complete, the jars are turned alive and end up, without memory of all the mess of people they really are, in the jar village as a whole new being.
I have an interesting theory about the jars and Queen Marika the Eternal. What if the seemingly crazy experiments involving sainthood and the jars weren’t so crazy after all, and they actually worked? Hear me out. What if Marika and Radagon, both Numen, grew up in the village? At some point, they weren’t offered but taken to Bonnie Village, where they underwent the jarring ceremony. They both endured suffering-they were whipped and flayed-before being fused together and placed in a jar, believing it would be the end of them. However, Marika had a much stronger constitution and will to survive than Radagon. This could explain why Radagon is not as powerful as Marika. Somehow, this act, combined with her will to live, fused them into a Rebus-a being composed of both man and woman. Their connection to something greater wasn’t imagined; Marika actually came into contact with an outer god, the Greater Will or more over the morther of fingers, whose fingers reached out to her. This is why she was treated differently by the hornsent, allowing her to walk freely among them. She used this influence to deceive them, making them believe that her ascension to godhood would be their salvation. In reality, it would lead to their downfall.
And is Miquella created by same methods then, considering he was the same, entity made of Miquella/Trina? Marika was always as she was. But her other half was everything she loathed about herself, her fire giant ancestry.
@@matiasluukkanen7718 well think about it like this Miquella and Melania are child of radagon and marika I don't think that she is everything that she despises moreover because she became a God she cannot directly interfere or act within the world of the land between therefore she needs a consort therefore her other half who isn't a God who hasn't ascended to godhood can act Within the physical world a God needs a consort that has been a thematic theme but why is that the god itself cannot act it needs a physical agent in the form of a consort or spouse to enact its will And Radagon is the warrior half of miquella able to affect the world because he is not a god but when it comes down to the twins because of the drawing process that has spread down into the bloodline in the form of a curse specifically miquella. Unlike the jarring process he developed an actual being within himself or how about this they're actually conjoined twins instead of twins that marika was pregnant with who was actually impregnated with triplets it just so happens that those triplets because of Numan pure blood flesh was able to mend harmoniously together Trina and miquella fused together and miquella became the dominant personality and think of Marika womb as the jar
@@leblanc1717 maybe he was I mean think about it what if Marika womb active as a facsimile for a jar. And miquella and Melania would not the only babies in the womb Trina was in that womb. And Numan flash blends harmoniously and the two babies became one baby this has happened before with twins sometimes a twin is much more stronger than another one and will consume the other twin and this could be a case this happened
Thoroughly excellent video, as ever. I too was quite transfixed by the Shaman Village when I found it, very late in my playing of the DLC (had just neglected to turn in that direction during earlier explorations). It's an amazing location that feels so emotionally evocative even before you learn any of its story. I had been ignorant of some of the larger context and this video was quite eye-opening in that regard. Thank you!
Great video, and very disturbing revelations about the jars and the connections to Marika PS: I love your voice and cadence, greatly adds credence to this horrifying theory Great work!
11:48 Just a note here, your inference is based on an unfortunately misleading translation. Marika's people, the Shamans, are itako (巫子). The "shamans" referred to in this item description are kitōshi (祈祷師) in Japanese - it would be better to have translated this as "witch doctors" or "priests" or something. There's no connection between the witch doctors wearing Great Jars and Marika's people in the Japanese text - without context, "shaman" as a translation would have been fine, but "shaman" as a term is specifically relevant to Marika, so it really shouldn't have been used.
I like the idea that the tower was made of shamans with the pillars dissolving into bodies and all that but I personally think the gate wasn't made with shamans as the bodies in the gate are hornsent and is much less refined when compared to the clean architecture of the tower making me think that maybe Queen Marika turned the ritual against the hornsent and made the gate herself with it being much less refined because their flesh didn't have the flesh melding properties of the shamans?
The cosplay for this video was super cool! It made me think more about the forehead symbol. Something I'd noticed but given absolutely 0 thought! So much interesting Jar lore!
The cosplay spooked me despite seeing the thumbnail, well done!! Also i think maybe the shaman begging for forgiveness is a clue for how they were ritual conducters too while being jarred. They were probably forced to participate in this religion and any attempt to rebel was punished with jarring, this would also make more sense than total genocide because they would want this rarely birthed race to live so they can keep doing their ritual.
Dude the ambiance when arriving to Shaman Village specially at night is sooooo good. I got goosebumps the first time I got there and reading the minor erdtree incant made me just sit there ... taking it all in
Miss Chalice might be wearing a blindfold in this video but it's very refreshing to see that she has a very clear way of seeing things. Fantastic video and sentiment. Very much appreciated. This was truly one of the most terrifying additions to the story in the DLC for me and it's really nice to see you bring it back around and connect some bigger dots here. It was also a bit of a redemption for my perspective of Alexander which I am also very grateful for. Also got me thinking about how his collective being is able to form a unified personality. And now that I think about it the concept of the tiny jars and big jars is kind of funny. I guess they need to be re potted after a point. Which is both disgusting and sort of cute all at once.
I had an actual Frantic Panic trying to remember this channels name today. I had just gone through Vaati's stuff, and Lady of Lore, and was like... "W A I T! There IS another!" So like 2 hours of parsing through my subscriptions later 😅 im stoked to see so much, Amazing videos and very nice cosplays ❤
It never clicked until now about the potentate part. Such a wild detail. Because bairns description of a good potentate now has a literal and symbolic meaning. He describes that a good potentate must be gentle and have smooth hands. Which I took as a symbol of a life free from the need of weapons. Since your hand develops calluses from fighting. But now we know it is also literal since Greater Potentates have hands so rough they can sharpen blades. Which implies they did a lot of "weapon using".
27:18 just 1 of the multiple genocides Marika instructed and willed to be completed, maybe if it was just the hornsent, you could make some plausible sympathy for her, but it was also the giants, and the omen/misbegotten. Who knows how many other wars she's instructed as the ruler. I can't really empathize with her, she's suffered a deep wrong, but she also used it as a way to gain power, and despite suffering under the system, she formed another equally or more so destructive order. One that affected much more than just the Shamen's. This isn't "an eye for an eye", this is "an eye for an entire civilization", she held more power and wielded to much further and destructively than the hornsent ever did. I think she realize this to some extent, and the shattering of the elden ring took place. But to what degree she thought about her actions, or the way she perpetuated the same system she suffered under I dont know.
This cosplay was somewhat minimal but still AWESOME! I always enjoy seeing your work (and videos, of course). In terms of the topic of the video, I still have so many questions about it. Such as: Why did the horn sent take everyone from the village? If they were seen as resources, then why would they deplete the village population? Was it greed? Desperation? Punishment for something? Especially if the shaman were related to or possibly Numen. They’re said to have been “seldom born”. This can be theorized due to them being taken to partake in jar rituals while probably still virgins. Also what even does “Sainthood” mean to them? Was it to become a vessel for which they could directly communicate to the god(s)? Did the hornsent need or want more than one Saint? Was St. Trina honored as saint for the same beliefs? Last question: Do you think the whole village was taken hostage right after Marika left, during her ritual, or right after reaching sainthood before she returned? It’s sad to think that Marika was possibly the only one to succeed by living through such an awful ritual. No wonder she was so disgusted. She probably even volunteered herself to save someone or everyone from her village just to return to her home still being ransacked. 😢
12:00, there is a translation issue with the term 'Sharman.' While both figures are referred to as 'Sharman' in English, they are distinct in the original context. The Sharman in this instance refers to a generic male priest, while the Sharman in 'Sharman Village' refers specifically to female priestesses (historically linked to a specific kind of Japanese priestess). It's important to note that the Marika Sharmans did not worship the Jars; that was done by the Priests of the Hornsent.
I was surprised to learn that the forehead marking actually does appear elsewhere in the game. It's not clear to me who it depicts, but in the upper level of the Volcano Manor there is portrait of someone wearing what looks like the Ruler set, but very clearly has that same symbol on their head. I think Scum Mage Infa pointed this out first? At least I didn't see it anywhere else.
I was listening to this video in the background while studying and when I was done I looked back to see her cosplay for the first time and got shocked lol. Great video though!!
This is secondhand info as I can't read Japanese (so take it with a grain of salt) but the Japanese version does differenciate between the Shaman-people, referred to as Miko/巫子 (Shinto priestesses), and the shaman who wear the Greatjar, refered to as Kitō-shi/祈祷師 (prayer man or shaman).
I got jumpscared midway trough the video...put it on in the backround while playing elden ring and when i looked over i got proper spooked. Great video and cosplay tho instant sub!
Haven't seen this brought up but one potential connection for Anastasia to the Realm of Shadow is the fact she drops a Sacred Scorpion Charm. Scorpions don't exist in the base game but they are in the Realm of Shadow. There's even scorpions right outside of the Bonny Gaol. Also, the fact she drops the Sacred variant could be because of the Holy spiral incantations the Hornsent use in the Realm of Shadow.
It feels like the change in how the jars are perceived and presented in the DLC speak to how Marika wanted them to be treated after her ascension. Considering the grisly scene in the basement of the shadow keep, perhaps Marika was trying to see if she could save her people from the jars and realised she couldn't; so instead she makes sure that the jars are protected, so that the amalgamated innards that are unfit to be fed to the erdtree carry on the memories of her people as they're passed from jar to jar.
In the time before SotE i was under the understanding that someone was putting the bodies inside the jars, and the jars like Alexander were just the "golems" destined to carry those bodies to the Erd-tree, sort of the "dark side" of the Erd-Tree burials, and their dopy personality was just Formsoft humor....and Formsoft humor it was. The DLC expanded on the jars, and my heart did not need that.
Completely forgot about the Ancestral Followers after doing the expansion. Love how they also have a culture that's based around the development of horns that's allowed to somewhat develop in areas that are somewhat out of place from the Erdtree
I think the greater potentate was atleast at some point allied with the crusade. The note near the dead furnace giant in front of Shadow Keep indicated the Messmer Soldiers had access to Furnace Pots. My head canon is that he initially h3lped the last Shaman avenge her race, out of a sense of futy. But he could not stand the butchering of innocent hornsents. So he left. He started crafting Furnace Pots to kill the Furnace Giants, but was found and killed in the shack where we find the Furnace Pot Cookbook, where we find the recipe on his body.
Super cool cosplay Miss Chalice! Giving me Halloween vibes. I loved learning about the Jars, it was next to Count Ymir as my favorite part of the DLC. Also big fan of this channel! Chalice and Vaati vids are must watches for me.
Que bonito quedó el Cosplay (me refiero a que está bien hecho, porque me asusté cuando lo vi, pero supe identificar realmente de que se trataba). Gracias por un nuevo vídeo!
Having blindfold on both eyes through the entire video would've been hilarious
I did honestly consider it. I do have a habit of choosing new ways to impair my vision in each LorePlay. GIVE ME A BREAK
@@miss_chalice You are doing wonderful you and vatti should do a colab
Vegan pots are hilarious though 😂
@@miss_chalice There are see through blindfolds. That could be a cool thing to use for future blindfold cosplays if you're interested.
Either way you're doing great!
@@miss_chalice ❤
The flesh melding line also explains how easily Godrick was able to not only graft others but the dragon’s head to himself so quickly, being of Shaman descent
Now that you mention it... Wow. That makes a lot more sense now.
It would also explain how Melania, Miquella and Mario are able to take concepts of their personality and “divest” them of “fuse” with them again.
@@Darth_Batemanitsa me
In fact, all of Marika’s Radagon’s children “meld” harmoniously. Rykard was able to bind himself to the great serpent, Godwyn’s body melded all across the lands, etc
This is so true!! Also, how Miquella embeds himself in the Haligtree. Very similar to what this Grandmother seemed to have done in the Shaman Village 😳
I wasn't prepared for the unsettling cosplay.
Sorry ⚪️👄⚪️
still would
@@elliswrigley4570have some shame loser
@@elliswrigley4570too bad no females ever will virgin boi
@@elliswrigley4570| Don't be creepy, friend.
Omg, absolutely adore the level of detailed care you put in not only with the cosplay, but also with getting footage of your character in the same outfit.
Thank you! I'm glad you like it; I always try to make my armour match the theme 😊
@@miss_chalice Miss Chalice what are your thoughts on trying the dlc lore with Metyr, Mother of Fingers?
because there is this item thing with ringed finger thing, the whole nox banishment with finger slayer blade though some people say its Rykard's
so i don't really know which is which so i wonder what would you think of it?
17:33 reminds me of that tumblr post "A desperate cleric slamming every healing spell so hard to bring someone back to life the ground is forced to grow plants and flowers around the body." I shudder to hold back tears as I imagine Marika desperately trying to revive her village, but there's no one. Gives me conniptions.
Doesn’t justify how she treats Morgott, Mohg, and Mesmer.
@@Darth_BatemanMessmer is more complicated, It's common for there to be visions of the Erdtree being burned according to he catch flame incantation and Messmer was crazy powerful (he is as strong as a great rune empowered demigod despite not having a great rune) so she probably believed that he was propheciesed to betray her.
Is This An Hawkwood Reference ?
@@Darth_Bateman No it doesn't, but that said, hurt people hurt people.
@@Darth_Bateman Marika did nothing wrong
I didn't realize Diallos drops a numen rune, that's honestly brilliant storytelling, even tho his ending is kinda sad, it gives the entire cycle with the jars a sort of brighter tone
The level of detail and commitment to connecting all the dots in Elden Ring is insane.
Indeed. That’s why I always carry the zoom tool in all souls game. You get to really inspect the details. Specifically the building art and sculptures. You can learn n so much (like the order of churches and which period they came from. Marika’s arm position, which ones have double braids, the geography of where they are. And once you find the center of the lands between, it really puts the entire path of war in clear view. Pure art
An overlooked detail on the Divine Gate is that the Hornsent seem to be intentionally crawling up and creating it. The ones on the outside layer and scrambling as high and they can get while the ones on the the inner layers are tucked in as much as they can, shoulder to shoulder, to create a strong foundation for the others to climb up. They were led, probably by Marika, to sacrifice themselves
It definitely seems like the Gate and it's evirons are made out of petrified flesh. Perhaps the gate needed to be made out of living flesh to properly operate?
Sometimes, I think about the furnace golems possibly being designed to be Marika and Messmer’s “jars” for the Hornsent: A massive, animated entity powered by living beings stuffed inside it to keep it active.
So basically marika was doing the same thing to hornset what they did to her people?
@@giokhurcilava3259 Filled with (literal) burning rage and hatred at the world that hurt her and her people so, and a burning desire (😏) to purge those who had existed since time immemorial who had the power dynamic and ability to cleanse the world of those who would commit these crimes, but didnt do so or committed them themselves for whatever their reasons. Lots of cyclical parallels, Ice Giants and Fire Giants (latter an enemy of Marika's Golden Order), Dragons and Drakes (latter enemy), etc..... Holds up very well slotting in
In addition: If we take the ancient JudeoChristian, Buddhism/Taoism, Hinduism/Vedic, and Alchemical (similar but separate groupings from both religions and others) sources we know Miyazaki loves and regularly utilizes as a core for his worlds, then most reference where fire both cleanses, purifies, and brings about new growth - be it local volcanic action, using a Crucible on metalz, or the cosmic cycles Miyazaki loves to make, it makes even more sense. Marika targets every group connected to Fire and Rebirth, condemning them to an eternal torture within beings where their own beliefs are proven (by design) to be an unending hell
Now that makes more sense why they went with the wickerman aside from flames. They're just like living jars except they consume their contents by immolation rather than storing them.
Did not expect Jar innards cosplays, but am thoroughly pleased
It's possible that Marika realised the horror of what she had done for both revenge and in the name of the greater will. That would explain why she banished those that would become the tarnished only to call them back later, and shatter the elden ring; she knew her rule had to end after all the atrocities she had caused, so she primed things to bring about that end.
Cosplay is creative as always! Never really thought about how freaky those jars really are.
Bruh this cosplay is insane. I didn’t even recognize who you were in my sub box without checking the channel name. The shadowing for depth on the forehead is great as well.
Thank you for the vegan pot take! It's something I haven't heard anyone else latch onto yet. Also, the connection between the pots and the gate may be significant! Shadow of the Erdtree is essentially a story about the cycle of exploitation and violence. The tragedy being Marika's inability to see how her own actions echo the violence and injustice inflicted on her own people. Makes one wonder if everything is just walls, pain, and vengeance...
Great video, as always🙂. Merika's story is a perfect example how the circle of violence never ends when the victims get their bloody revenge and become the oppressors. The DLC made Merika feel like a human being.
her name is actually Murica
Marika represents the spiritual (circle) and Radagon represents the Physical (square) of the Vetruvian Man. As such, Lands Between represents physically dominant and powerful beings, whereas the shadow lands represent the dark spiritual entities and influences that operate “in the shadows” so to speak
yea there is something there to what you are saying but i still think marika had a physical body and would switch between radagon and her self (radagon having his own personalty and wants)
The jars being "better than the people in them" to me comes from the fact that, aside from the Shamans, it's largely prisoners being stuffed into jars.
The jars during Marika's reign aren't stuffed with prisoners, but with gladiators from the coliseums. 🤔
The Hornsent speak of the great betrayal of Marika upon her ascension into the Godhood. The shamans were not different from other prisoners in their eyes - they punished Marika's people for her sin...
And when Marika found what happened, she started her crusade
Question is what exactly was considered criminal by the hornsent, given that it's from soft they are _definitely not_ the good guys
wicked cosplay, as always.
I think maybe what was being conveyed with diallos's numen rune was either he's of a more direct lineage to marika than most other tarnished OR that perhaps by defending the jars with his life that he had been granted one of the highest forms of grace by marika, fractured as she may be she still seems to have some influence on the outside world through the sites of grace
I have a few comments and things to consider. I shall list them out here. Be warned, it is a long post
*1.* The "shamans" as described in the large pot helm are indeed a localization change. The word used is different from the word used by the Shaman race, and signifies that it was done by some sort of shrine priest. I believe Lost Protagonist went over it in one of his videos.
*2.* The Gate of Divinity were probably not Shaman bodies. Look closer, the bodies that make up the gate are horned. Those are Hornsent bodies and, considering Marika's behavior, she probably made it herself. This makes her more reprehensible since mashing together bodeis to create divinity is the same thing the Hornsent did to her, so she did unto them.
*3.* On the "Made better than their innards" and the fact that the people in the jars are called "the condemned" and the fact that they are made in in "gaols" explicitly, I don't think Shamans were the people originally meant for the Jar. Rather, the fact that other hornsent prisoners, such as the Lamenter and those two Curseblade, are also in these Gaols implies that the original use of the Jars was a form of capital punishment for criminals in Hornsent society. In short a way for the Hornsent to execute the condemned while also still making use of their bodies and not letting their wasted lives go to waste by society. Taking those who wronged others and society, and turning them into friendly saintly beings. An interesting practice...at first. Until they discover the Shaman and how their flesh accelerated the Jar process. Upon this discovery, they twisted the practice and began to hunt down the Shamans to facilitate the melding of in the jars.
*4.* One could argue that the practice of Jar creation isn't that unusual compared to other similar practices. The Tutelary Deities gather together spirits and their essences to create the Spirit Ash, so one could easily see the Jars as a meaty bastardization of the practice. The cycle of life and death, taken into mortal hands.
*5.* This does raise a lot of questions abnou the Jars in the base game. If you look closer, the Jars in The Lands Between and the ones in the Shadow Lands are actually different, especially the designs on their lids. The ones in the base game have a specific Erdtree design on their lids, wheras the ones in the Shadowlands have a more generic knot design that is associated with the Hornsent. This implies that the Jars in the Lands Between are a newer creation, or at the very least were given new lids and decals by the Erdtree Empire. Yet most Jar People we find are in and around Liurnia, not Altus, including Jarburg. Curious that. Plus we know that many physicks made by the perfumers used Jar shards as ingredients. So clearly there is some exploitation of the Jars withing Marika's nation, hence why they've fled to Liurnia and many can even be found in the employ of the Lucarians in their school. Further, if Jars were still being made after Marika's rise to power, then depending on who was doing the Jaring that places a lot of dirt on someone's hands.
*6.* There is still the question of why there are large jars in and around the Lesser Erdtrees. Perhaps the Jars were used as fertalizer to raise and grow the Lesser Trees suring the time of the Shattering. There's also the question of what the giant jar in Caelid is doing, epsecially since we know with the restored map that the arena there would've been smack dab in the middle of Dragon country.
*7.* As to the Hornsent to resented the crimes of their own people and nation, more than just the one Potentate I believe that there is implication there were more who may have even assisted in Marika's fight. I can't remember the video or who did it, but one loretuber posited the idea that the Banished Knights may have originally been of the Hornsent civilization and assisted the Crusade, until they were all gathered up in one place after the war and massacred by Gaius on Messmer's order, and the ones in teh base game are either those who were already away from the main group, or were spared when O'niel made the deal that resulted in him diving up his leg. Hence why their armor has horned motifs and why O'niel uses Storm powers in his fight like the Dancing Lion. Which makes Marika's betrayal and pogrom of their people all the more bitter and galling.
great post!
One thing! The Jars being in Liurnia specifically, always rang to me that they were escaping the Golden Order. Remember, the Carians beat back the influence of the GO and were essentially their own, seperate party, one free of their influence. So if the Jars ever wanted a safe haven, that's where they'd go. Compare the Jars found there to the ones shoved in a corner, near Godrick's boss room in Stormveil. Those Jars were likely used for his horrific grafting process and were not there by choice, hence why they're huddled together in a corner, probably fearful of the cruel Godrick. But yeah, I've always interpreted their Liurnia presence as one of escape!
You can even craft a Hefty Furnace Pot using the same cookbooks written by that Greater Potentate which could imply that they helped Messmer’s forces by writing cookbooks that would result in the creation of the furnace golems.
@@Genasidal with how insular the Carians are I wouldnt bet on it. Nor are they portrayed as protectors, preceptors (serving the carian royal fam) being particularly sketchy with the puppets and all
@@EA_Kar All very true, but I never particularly meant that they themselves grant the Jars protection, as much as they naturally keep the Golden Order out.
Think of it this way: look where Jarburg actually is. It's a place completely untouched by Raya Lucaria or the Carians, despite literally being right under the Carians nose. I do agree that the humans there would likely destroy the jars all the same, but they managed to find not only a safe haven against the Carians/Raya Lucaria, but also have massively lowered their chances of being discovered by the Golden Order, due to being in the Carian's home region.
Effectively, you could think of them as a "natural defence" from their enemies, whilst themselves not actually being in any way allied to the jars. With magic-related pots being in abundance and used by the Cuckoos, it's practically confirmed they'd use any discovered jars the exact same as the Golden Order. Only, unlike people like Godrick, they're not actively seeking them out. Which is why I believe Liurnia was the best, logical location for the pots to go. Far less dangerous than Caelid, far less hunted and used then on Altus and definitely not used for grafting like in Limgrave.
Of course... If you see the Jarburg questline all the way through, it's true to say that not even this will truly keep them out. But, you can't say it wasn't for a lack of the Jars trying!
Big ups on another banger, Miss Chalice! 🤩
Thank you for your support!!!
My personal theory about the mark on the forehead is that it is the mark of the Crucible, as it does take the shape of what looks like a tree. And since the hornsent worshipped the crucible, I think it wouldnt be a far fetch. On top of that, the Crucible is referred to as the evolutionary melding of all forms of life, so in a symbolic way the mark is placed on the victims as they are doomed to meld in a Crucible-esque fashion.
It kind of looks like a person being flayed imo
Nah, the Crucible is clearly represented as a spiral / helix in the DLC.
Figured it was a soreseal kind of thing, just not on the eye
The ultimate victims seems to be the misbegotten, who didn't engage in any kind of macabre ritual yet suffered the vengeful wrath of Marika
Aren’t misbegottens, akin to beastmen, linked to the Crucible, which Hornsents are also linked to, and since Marika hates anything related to the Hornsent/Crucible, it would make sense how they are treated
It's entirely possible, given the long line and history of noble families, that the Hoslows participated in some way with the jars. After all, "The tale of House Hoslow is told in blood."
That point about the music in the shaman village is really interesting. The music in this game is exceptionally well done and i think has so many layers and meanings to it- i think its an aspect allways worth bearing in mind.
The line 'only the kindness of gold, without order' makes me think that music is Marika's theme, given Radagon's title is 'of the golden order' and his theme is the other half of the main theme. Makes the DLC story trailer interesting as Marika's theme gains hints of the Elden Beast's theme, perhaps Fromsoft's way of telling us Radagon came after her ascension?
35:24 "Whatever the hell this is" isn't scaring me away, it's earning my subscribe.
Remember reading some theories about how the whole jar-making process is an attempt by the horsent to kinda recreate the Crucible. "The Crucible of was the divine essence that became the Erdtree and the place where all life energy was once blended together". So maybe the plan was just to keep making jars bigger and bigger? And mix them until there is only 1 massive jar left? Also something about the word crucible meaning melting pot, wich seems to fit the whole jar-full-of-flesh idea
To make a dragon/giant sized saint to contend with the dragon elden lord maybe? or their god, though we dont know if they were big but the Nox&friends were reeeeal set on making a Big boy for a lord/god
"Perhaps they were made to be better then their innards" I love how you said that
Great video! I'm glad to see someone talking about the connection between the caterpillar mask and the omenkiller physicks/masks. It felt like a clear parallel between Marika and the Hornsent as she was becoming more like the people she reviled, and was an interesting parallel in looking at how people make themselves comfortable with carrying out slaughter.
Also this is genuinely one of your best cosplays, the makeup is so perfectly freaky and captures the feeling of seeing those jar innards for the first time! Perfect halloween costume too. Imagine passing out candy from a big stone jar dressed like that!
Dialos dropping the Numen rune is quite curious. I wish we’d have more answers, but as always that’s one of the fun things about Fromsoftware game lore is how we are left to speculate
Yay! Some Chalice lore on a Friday!
The song in Shaman village is one of my favorites, you get a sense of what Marika was feeling when what happened to her people happened being the last sitting there, planting a seed of hope. The intro song being Radagon could show what he added to his life when he was created
The timing is great. I have just started the DLC some weeks ago and I just completed Belurat Jail yesterday, and I had a lot of questions. Thank you!
2:35 God I wish this was the first time I heard that sentence.
Lmao
You’re an incredibly valuable and unique voice in this world of souls lore content. Thanks so much for all your hard work!
Surely the shaman grandmother is a reference to GRR Martin’s GoT lore of the three eyed raven? Shaman’s were most likely originally merged with trees where they become seers. So when the horn sent found out about this, they experimented with different beings to merge with the shamans
Another excellent lore video! I agree with your suggestion that Marika's Shaman characteristics is what enabled her to merge with Radagon, and I believe Miquella inherented the ability
The music seems to suggest that the merger happened after her ascension. Her half of the main theme plays during her ascension in the trailer and shaman village whereas Radagon's half only plays during his battle.
@@blizzardgaming7070 My personal theory puts the merger after her marriage to him. I think that he was his own man, clawed his way to the top, and when Marika started showing her doubts, the Fingers picked the most faithful-to-the-Order man they could find, which was Radagon, and forced him on her.
When Dead flesh get put into the jars, their souls were at peace already so the Living Jars developed a more innocent/pure personality, as if new soul have been reborn into the dead flesh. I can see though, that the Hornsent wanted to hack this process by stuffing the jar with tortured Living flesh instead. This might also have to do with the Coffin Stone practice, where the Hornsent sent most of their dead's to the Coffin Stone. so there aren't as many dead for them to be stuff into the jars, leading them to hunt other living flesh.
You should have looked closer. I've noticed that one of the bodies in the gates of divinity had horns so it's made of horsent bodies those that Mesmer's army killed. That is why while Markia walks the stairs it's still fresh... that is just IMO
the top-down shot at 0:54 was very scary lol. well done for hitting the vibe right.
That cosplay is top notch as well as the storytelling. Always happy for a new lore video!
Haven't finished watching yet but I'm surprised how few people have brought up the possibility that Marika was created as a jar saint. Possibly the only successful fusion/ascension. And that's why she housed so many different aspects of life, animals, and powers.
... you know, the fact that the hornsent call her ascension a betrayal makes a lot of sense, too.
I loved your cosplay it was so freaking cool and the unsettling eye contact was a perfect choice for such a grisly topic. Once again, top-tier video!!
compliments to the chef there. Cosplay actually scared me tbh
Really great video, I love the vegan jar mention. And I love that you mentioned there are similarities between jarburg and shaman village. I wonder so much about the jars because the hornsent pushed living beings in the jars but the ones like Alexander seem to only have dead warrior remains (and we find them in catacombs a lot). Not to mention so many around erdtrees! The popular theory is that they were meant to take remains to erdtrees for burial but that's not stated anywhere. I do think thats a cool theory but every theory just leaves me wanting more!
The costume is wonderful very eerie and my favorite one you've made yet!!
When I first found the shaman village, the golden sapling and the braid, my first thought was that this was where Marika did something similar to Miquella, divesting herself of a piece of herself. In this case, I believe she divested herself of her kindness, leaving it in the only place that deserved her kindness. It would help explain her actions afterwards, which seem extreme especially for someone who seemingly embodied kindness in her past.
Heard minor audio bugs but this video was a beautiful one, the music and the telling of the lore struck my heart and emotions
Can we talk about the fact that our characters in the game are exactly the same as the jars? We kill people and stuff their "gold" (i.e. life energy) inside ourselves, in order to get stronger. We're the same. Their way is just more honest. I think this was a deliberate parallel that the devs wanted us to think about.
I really think the origins of the warrior jars and jar village we find in the base game is on the same level is the origin of Rya - born out of something horrible and terrifying, even disgusting to a degree.
Also I have this theory on how the shamans were used as a "punishment" on criminals, to fuse with the criminal as an attempt to cleanse them of their sins and thereby turn them into "saints". It is a wicked way to punish a person but also really dark to force a whole clan of people to be used as some sort of guillotine. And when the deed is complete, the jars are turned alive and end up, without memory of all the mess of people they really are, in the jar village as a whole new being.
@2:57 AHHHHH … no seriously your cosplays are always excellent
Didn't watch the video yet but already see it worth it. Thank you!
Goodness, you're a fright. An unsettling visage for an unsettling topic. Great job on the cosplay and the lore, as always.
I have an interesting theory about the jars and Queen Marika the Eternal. What if the seemingly crazy experiments involving sainthood and the jars weren’t so crazy after all, and they actually worked? Hear me out.
What if Marika and Radagon, both Numen, grew up in the village? At some point, they weren’t offered but taken to Bonnie Village, where they underwent the jarring ceremony. They both endured suffering-they were whipped and flayed-before being fused together and placed in a jar, believing it would be the end of them. However, Marika had a much stronger constitution and will to survive than Radagon. This could explain why Radagon is not as powerful as Marika.
Somehow, this act, combined with her will to live, fused them into a Rebus-a being composed of both man and woman. Their connection to something greater wasn’t imagined; Marika actually came into contact with an outer god, the Greater Will or more over the morther of fingers, whose fingers reached out to her.
This is why she was treated differently by the hornsent, allowing her to walk freely among them. She used this influence to deceive them, making them believe that her ascension to godhood would be their salvation. In reality, it would lead to their downfall.
And is Miquella created by same methods then, considering he was the same, entity made of Miquella/Trina?
Marika was always as she was. But her other half was everything she loathed about herself, her fire giant ancestry.
It sounds like a nice theory but Miquella's own other half St.trina was not made in such a way.
@@matiasluukkanen7718 well think about it like this Miquella and Melania are child of radagon and marika I don't think that she is everything that she despises moreover because she became a God she cannot directly interfere or act within the world of the land between therefore she needs a consort therefore her other half who isn't a God who hasn't ascended to godhood can act Within the physical world a God needs a consort that has been a thematic theme but why is that the god itself cannot act it needs a physical agent in the form of a consort or spouse to enact its will
And Radagon is the warrior half of miquella able to affect the world because he is not a god but when it comes down to the twins because of the drawing process that has spread down into the bloodline in the form of a curse specifically miquella.
Unlike the jarring process he developed an actual being within himself or how about this they're actually conjoined twins instead of twins that marika was pregnant with who was actually impregnated with triplets it just so happens that those triplets because of Numan pure blood flesh was able to mend harmoniously together Trina and miquella fused together and miquella became the dominant personality and think of Marika womb as the jar
@@leblanc1717 maybe he was I mean think about it what if Marika womb active as a facsimile for a jar. And miquella and Melania would not the only babies in the womb Trina was in that womb.
And Numan flash blends harmoniously and the two babies became one baby this has happened before with twins sometimes a twin is much more stronger than another one and will consume the other twin and this could be a case this happened
That is a chilling cosplay you're doing! Love the vid!
I CANNOT believe every time I’ve searched Elden ring lore, this channel didn’t pop up. I am already DEVOTED💕
the makeup of this loreplay is top notch !
We've seen the symbol before as well as the faces of the Jar innards, its the grafted scions face.
Thoroughly excellent video, as ever. I too was quite transfixed by the Shaman Village when I found it, very late in my playing of the DLC (had just neglected to turn in that direction during earlier explorations). It's an amazing location that feels so emotionally evocative even before you learn any of its story. I had been ignorant of some of the larger context and this video was quite eye-opening in that regard. Thank you!
Great video, and very disturbing revelations about the jars and the connections to Marika
PS: I love your voice and cadence, greatly adds credence to this horrifying theory
Great work!
The cosplay was amazing, as always, and the lore discussion was thought-provoking and insightful. Thank you for the video! 😁
I think this one and your frenzy flame cosplay are probably the most unsettling. They would be great at a Halloween party.
11:48 Just a note here, your inference is based on an unfortunately misleading translation. Marika's people, the Shamans, are itako (巫子). The "shamans" referred to in this item description are kitōshi (祈祷師) in Japanese - it would be better to have translated this as "witch doctors" or "priests" or something. There's no connection between the witch doctors wearing Great Jars and Marika's people in the Japanese text - without context, "shaman" as a translation would have been fine, but "shaman" as a term is specifically relevant to Marika, so it really shouldn't have been used.
I like the idea that the tower was made of shamans with the pillars dissolving into bodies and all that but I personally think the gate wasn't made with shamans as the bodies in the gate are hornsent and is much less refined when compared to the clean architecture of the tower making me think that maybe Queen Marika turned the ritual against the hornsent and made the gate herself with it being much less refined because their flesh didn't have the flesh melding properties of the shamans?
Chalice, your makeup and costuming continues to amaze me.
The cosplay for this video was super cool! It made me think more about the forehead symbol. Something I'd noticed but given absolutely 0 thought! So much interesting Jar lore!
Impressive the rate at which you release high quality content. You spoil us!
The cosplay spooked me despite seeing the thumbnail, well done!! Also i think maybe the shaman begging for forgiveness is a clue for how they were ritual conducters too while being jarred. They were probably forced to participate in this religion and any attempt to rebel was punished with jarring, this would also make more sense than total genocide because they would want this rarely birthed race to live so they can keep doing their ritual.
Damn your cosplay is haunting.
I was actually a bit freaked out when the editing first cut to you XD
Great vid tho!
Dude the ambiance when arriving to Shaman Village specially at night is sooooo good.
I got goosebumps the first time I got there and reading the minor erdtree incant made me just sit there
... taking it all in
Visiting the Belurat Gaol and finding out how the whimsical jars from the main game were created was definitely an unsettling experience.
You look insane. It's awesome!also, I think the flesh mushrooms might be Marika's (white) and Radagon's (red). Like Miqui's Lily, and Saint Trina.
Miss Chalice might be wearing a blindfold in this video but it's very refreshing to see that she has a very clear way of seeing things. Fantastic video and sentiment. Very much appreciated. This was truly one of the most terrifying additions to the story in the DLC for me and it's really nice to see you bring it back around and connect some bigger dots here. It was also a bit of a redemption for my perspective of Alexander which I am also very grateful for. Also got me thinking about how his collective being is able to form a unified personality. And now that I think about it the concept of the tiny jars and big jars is kind of funny. I guess they need to be re potted after a point. Which is both disgusting and sort of cute all at once.
I had an actual Frantic Panic trying to remember this channels name today. I had just gone through Vaati's stuff, and Lady of Lore, and was like... "W A I T! There IS another!" So like 2 hours of parsing through my subscriptions later 😅 im stoked to see so much, Amazing videos and very nice cosplays ❤
It never clicked until now about the potentate part. Such a wild detail. Because bairns description of a good potentate now has a literal and symbolic meaning. He describes that a good potentate must be gentle and have smooth hands. Which I took as a symbol of a life free from the need of weapons. Since your hand develops calluses from fighting. But now we know it is also literal since Greater Potentates have hands so rough they can sharpen blades. Which implies they did a lot of "weapon using".
The jar saint is so haunting, I'm excited they're getting more attention
27:18 just 1 of the multiple genocides Marika instructed and willed to be completed, maybe if it was just the hornsent, you could make some plausible sympathy for her, but it was also the giants, and the omen/misbegotten. Who knows how many other wars she's instructed as the ruler. I can't really empathize with her, she's suffered a deep wrong, but she also used it as a way to gain power, and despite suffering under the system, she formed another equally or more so destructive order. One that affected much more than just the Shamen's. This isn't "an eye for an eye", this is "an eye for an entire civilization", she held more power and wielded to much further and destructively than the hornsent ever did. I think she realize this to some extent, and the shattering of the elden ring took place. But to what degree she thought about her actions, or the way she perpetuated the same system she suffered under I dont know.
You never disappoint. Today's cosplay it's eerie and lovely both. Very unique channel.
After the DLC, I'd never look at Alexander the same way. Top tier cosplay Chalice! Great video
This cosplay was somewhat minimal but still AWESOME! I always enjoy seeing your work (and videos, of course).
In terms of the topic of the video, I still have so many questions about it. Such as:
Why did the horn sent take everyone from the village? If they were seen as resources, then why would they deplete the village population? Was it greed? Desperation? Punishment for something?
Especially if the shaman were related to or possibly Numen. They’re said to have been “seldom born”. This can be theorized due to them being taken to partake in jar rituals while probably still virgins.
Also what even does “Sainthood” mean to them? Was it to become a vessel for which they could directly communicate to the god(s)? Did the hornsent need or want more than one Saint?
Was St. Trina honored as saint for the same beliefs?
Last question: Do you think the whole village was taken hostage right after Marika left, during her ritual, or right after reaching sainthood before she returned?
It’s sad to think that Marika was possibly the only one to succeed by living through such an awful ritual. No wonder she was so disgusted. She probably even volunteered herself to save someone or everyone from her village just to return to her home still being ransacked. 😢
12:00, there is a translation issue with the term 'Sharman.' While both figures are referred to as 'Sharman' in English, they are distinct in the original context. The Sharman in this instance refers to a generic male priest, while the Sharman in 'Sharman Village' refers specifically to female priestesses (historically linked to a specific kind of Japanese priestess). It's important to note that the Marika Sharmans did not worship the Jars; that was done by the Priests of the Hornsent.
I loved how Dialos family's motto turned from curel reminder of duty to a couraging reminder of a heroic sacrifice.
I was surprised to learn that the forehead marking actually does appear elsewhere in the game. It's not clear to me who it depicts, but in the upper level of the Volcano Manor there is portrait of someone wearing what looks like the Ruler set, but very clearly has that same symbol on their head. I think Scum Mage Infa pointed this out first? At least I didn't see it anywhere else.
I was listening to this video in the background while studying and when I was done I looked back to see her cosplay for the first time and got shocked lol. Great video though!!
This is secondhand info as I can't read Japanese (so take it with a grain of salt) but the Japanese version does differenciate between the Shaman-people, referred to as Miko/巫子 (Shinto priestesses), and the shaman who wear the Greatjar, refered to as Kitō-shi/祈祷師 (prayer man or shaman).
right when you think chalice cant get any more creative she comes at you with this almost uncanny valley creepy cosplay. very well done!
Great, just amazing. Great video Miss Chalice
I got jumpscared midway trough the video...put it on in the backround while playing elden ring and when i looked over i got proper spooked. Great video and cosplay tho instant sub!
Haven't seen this brought up but one potential connection for Anastasia to the Realm of Shadow is the fact she drops a Sacred Scorpion Charm. Scorpions don't exist in the base game but they are in the Realm of Shadow. There's even scorpions right outside of the Bonny Gaol. Also, the fact she drops the Sacred variant could be because of the Holy spiral incantations the Hornsent use in the Realm of Shadow.
It's always worth the wait to see what kind of cosplay you cook up for your videos.
I think Marika is such a fascinating char and I love the further exploration in the dlc
It feels like the change in how the jars are perceived and presented in the DLC speak to how Marika wanted them to be treated after her ascension. Considering the grisly scene in the basement of the shadow keep, perhaps Marika was trying to see if she could save her people from the jars and realised she couldn't; so instead she makes sure that the jars are protected, so that the amalgamated innards that are unfit to be fed to the erdtree carry on the memories of her people as they're passed from jar to jar.
This may be the most terrifying cosplay I‘ve seen yet, great job!
In the time before SotE i was under the understanding that someone was putting the bodies inside the jars, and the jars like Alexander were just the "golems" destined to carry those bodies to the Erd-tree, sort of the "dark side" of the Erd-Tree burials, and their dopy personality was just Formsoft humor....and Formsoft humor it was.
The DLC expanded on the jars, and my heart did not need that.
I was just listening to the video and looked over right when it was you speaking and the cosplayed genuinely freaked me out for a second lol
Amazing video, amazing cosplay - love some good practical horror effects
Man, i love me a good Miss Chalice cosp- WHAT IN THE GOLDEN ORDER!?!?
Completely forgot about the Ancestral Followers after doing the expansion. Love how they also have a culture that's based around the development of horns that's allowed to somewhat develop in areas that are somewhat out of place from the Erdtree
I think the greater potentate was atleast at some point allied with the crusade.
The note near the dead furnace giant in front of Shadow Keep indicated the Messmer Soldiers had access to Furnace Pots.
My head canon is that he initially h3lped the last Shaman avenge her race, out of a sense of futy. But he could not stand the butchering of innocent hornsents. So he left. He started crafting Furnace Pots to kill the Furnace Giants, but was found and killed in the shack where we find the Furnace Pot Cookbook, where we find the recipe on his body.
Not only is this video fantastic but this has to be the most striking cosplay I've seen so far. It is awesome and slightly unnerving.
I WAST NOT READY!!! Please Save Da JARSSS. Thank you so much for making lore so fun Miss Chalice!!
Super cool cosplay Miss Chalice! Giving me Halloween vibes. I loved learning about the Jars, it was next to Count Ymir as my favorite part of the DLC. Also big fan of this channel! Chalice and Vaati vids are must watches for me.
Que bonito quedó el Cosplay (me refiero a que está bien hecho, porque me asusté cuando lo vi, pero supe identificar realmente de que se trataba).
Gracias por un nuevo vídeo!