(I know this is a shitpost, but I couldn’t resist lore-dumping)
The Dark Sign is actually Gwyn’s curse on humanity to seal away their potential (the Dark Soul being the only fragment of the First Flame that can be shared and passed on without weakening, he feared humanity growing powerful enough to topple the gods through sheer numbers). That’s why the Dark Sign appears as a flame encircling the Dark. When the First Flame weakens enough, his seal becomes visible as the Dark within humanity begins breaking free.
I’m glad you couldn’t resist cause I just wanna say Gwyn is a dick head eternally. Trapped man in a mortal form because he was so afraid of their Dark Soul that never lost power as it fragmented. And the damn diplomacy! The Pygmy’s worshiped the gods until the end of time! Such travesty, such waste! I’m also convinced there has never fully been an Age of Dark as the Darksign would have presumably vanished when the first flame did during one of those ages. But clearly, in DS3 we still have the same darksign. Ugh such good fucken lore that hit the spot. Thanks.
I think progressing into the Age of Dark is only muddied by the game mechanics of NG+. It is really sold in DS3 that the Age of Dark ending is the canonical one, and that it does not loop, but somehow most people think that it loops too, because of NG+. I feel it’s more that Fromsoft is just smart with the game design, and they didn’t want to lock players out of NG+ if they chose that ending.
Isn’t the Hollow Lord ending the canonical one? We’re done? Free’d to our own realm of humanity and sanctioned with the power of Dark and Flame? If I recall Miyazaki has actually stated no endings are canon for the 3rd one at least.
For me, NG+ is a result of the timeline in reality breaking down at the end of the age of fire and depositing you back at the beginning of your tale. Thats definitely not canon but its sicc as hell to think about.
Yeah, that’s what I mean by the Age of Dark. Being the Hollow Lord ushers that in. The timeline was only looping because undead would keep re-linking the flame, and basically resetting time to keep Gwyn and the other gods in power. By not linking the flame, it is assumed the world just continues on into the new age, the age of dark. Which, I don’t think is literally dark, given that darkness is what represents humanity. It’s more like LOTR, and how Elves and magic were leaving so that human kind would be dominant.
The Hollow Lord ending is different than a natural age of dark though. The Ashen One jacks the First Flame and their own Dark Soul is titsed up such that together they can manifest reality (for anyone out there reading that dont know). Its a shame we only see them step into this reality and not much else is known about it. I’ve always assumed it must be the world The Painter made, since it has nearly the same ingredients (first flame vs painting’s flame? Same same?)
On another note its crazy to think that in the entire history of Dark Souls (as it is at the end of 3) never had an age of dark. Like yeah, you can consider it to have at the end of any of your playthroughs in 1 or 3, but the world of 3 seems to assume one never happened and same with 2 when you start. An entire natural Age denied existence by Gwyn’s fear and hubris.
(I know this is a shitpost, but I couldn’t resist lore-dumping)
The Dark Sign is actually Gwyn’s curse on humanity to seal away their potential (the Dark Soul being the only fragment of the First Flame that can be shared and passed on without weakening, he feared humanity growing powerful enough to topple the gods through sheer numbers). That’s why the Dark Sign appears as a flame encircling the Dark. When the First Flame weakens enough, his seal becomes visible as the Dark within humanity begins breaking free.
I’m glad you couldn’t resist cause I just wanna say Gwyn is a dick head eternally. Trapped man in a mortal form because he was so afraid of their Dark Soul that never lost power as it fragmented. And the damn diplomacy! The Pygmy’s worshiped the gods until the end of time! Such travesty, such waste! I’m also convinced there has never fully been an Age of Dark as the Darksign would have presumably vanished when the first flame did during one of those ages. But clearly, in DS3 we still have the same darksign. Ugh such good fucken lore that hit the spot. Thanks.
I think progressing into the Age of Dark is only muddied by the game mechanics of NG+. It is really sold in DS3 that the Age of Dark ending is the canonical one, and that it does not loop, but somehow most people think that it loops too, because of NG+. I feel it’s more that Fromsoft is just smart with the game design, and they didn’t want to lock players out of NG+ if they chose that ending.
Isn’t the Hollow Lord ending the canonical one? We’re done? Free’d to our own realm of humanity and sanctioned with the power of Dark and Flame? If I recall Miyazaki has actually stated no endings are canon for the 3rd one at least.
For me, NG+ is a result of the timeline in reality breaking down at the end of the age of fire and depositing you back at the beginning of your tale. Thats definitely not canon but its sicc as hell to think about.
Yeah, that’s what I mean by the Age of Dark. Being the Hollow Lord ushers that in. The timeline was only looping because undead would keep re-linking the flame, and basically resetting time to keep Gwyn and the other gods in power. By not linking the flame, it is assumed the world just continues on into the new age, the age of dark. Which, I don’t think is literally dark, given that darkness is what represents humanity. It’s more like LOTR, and how Elves and magic were leaving so that human kind would be dominant.
The Hollow Lord ending is different than a natural age of dark though. The Ashen One jacks the First Flame and their own Dark Soul is titsed up such that together they can manifest reality (for anyone out there reading that dont know). Its a shame we only see them step into this reality and not much else is known about it. I’ve always assumed it must be the world The Painter made, since it has nearly the same ingredients (first flame vs painting’s flame? Same same?)
On another note its crazy to think that in the entire history of Dark Souls (as it is at the end of 3) never had an age of dark. Like yeah, you can consider it to have at the end of any of your playthroughs in 1 or 3, but the world of 3 seems to assume one never happened and same with 2 when you start. An entire natural Age denied existence by Gwyn’s fear and hubris.