ELDEN RING (PART 9)

Three big bosses -- Malenia, Fire Giant, Astel -- and many runes later, I'm now at level 150, which is where I wanna stop and have pretty much reached the point of no return in the game. However, the question is: WHO should commit the cardinal sin and burn the Erdtree?? There are two choices: either ask Melina (who's been the Tarnish's guide since the beginning of the game) to do the deed or do it myself ...

To make that decision I'd like to create my own (original) narrative for my game, yet trying to stick to the lore of Elden Ring as well. So, first of all, WHO my character should be? 

Our Tarnished began his journey as a Prophet. According to the game, this class' description is:

"A seer ostracised for inauspicious prophecies. Well versed in healing incantations..."

I guess I choice this class because I didn't want to be a mage outright (which sounds a bit boring) but at the same time can still yield some magic. So being a healer/cleric sounds like something that I'd choose in other RPG games (also, I don't think I can handle melee since I don't even know how to parry LOL). And wielding a bow is not really my thing either. 

So, despite its weird looks -- the blindfold and the shackles -- I went with the Prophet who, actually, can see the (terrible) future that will befall on the Lands Between. At this point, it is worth delving into the lore of 1) what exactly is this future as seen via Brother Corhyn and Goldmask quest in the game and 2) the fate of Hyetta who is also blindfolded (but probably for a whole different reason).  

The answers may not be straightforward as, for one, there are many theories behind who Goldmask is. The scholar is believed to be a proponent of the Golden Order, created by the first Elden Lord. But having trudge through countless reddit threads lol it appears Goldmask, and eventually Brother Corhyn, realised the Golden Order is just as perfect as they'd thought -- in fact, it is another form of dictatorship -- which left both of them disillusioned ... perhaps this is what the Prophet class foresees? 

The other side of the same coin (as it were) is that if the Golden Order is not the answer for the Lands Between (and that is why I decided to change allegiance half way through the game so our Tarnished is not a follower of the Golden Order... I scaled back his INT back to 7 and significantly boosted his FTH stats) then what is the future for this world in the prophecy?

Enter the Frenzied Flame God, which turns everyone crazy. Now, this is one scary prophecy that our Tarnished can see, channelled via Hyetta. 

Like Vyke, a fellow Tarnished who wanted to save his maiden by burning the Erdtree himself, our Tarnished also doesn't want to sacrifice his "guide" Melina (but WHO is Melina?) And also like Vyke, the Prophet class wield a spear. And him realising the horror and injustice done to the entire Nomad race, our Tarnished may also want to seek revenge for them and opt for a World of Madness. 

But, of course, our Tarnished's journey was never gonnabe plain sailing. As he is always well versed in Fire and Dragon incantations, which means there is something else that might be in the works, which makes him a puzzle in itself. Is he in any way connected to the Fire Monks (since he wears their armour set and learnt their incantations) or the Fire Giants (he also uses their incantations), and how is he connected with the Dragon Cult?     

One thing for sure though, he is NOT a believer of Ranni/ Moon Magic. Despite acquiring the Sword of  Night and Flame quite earlier on in the game, a legendary weapon that could go with both the Ranni and Age of Stars or Golden Order lores, our Tarnished abandoned that after acquiring the Blasphemous Blade from defeating Rykard (which also means he left the Volcano Manor sect after, well, betraying them ... for some very good armour sets!)

So what are these connections? To be continued ...