Greetings! I'm making this thread to share my thoughts on some of the lore behind DaS 2 and hopefully provide a place for others to do the same. This is my first attempt at really delving into the lore of a game, and also at making a thread this large so please bear with me. Furthermore, I've yet to beat the game (I'm around halfway through), but I know the risks entailed in making this thread. If others wish to discuss endgame characters or areas, feel free to do so. Also, I'm just going to mention things and edit the OP as ideas come to me, so it will not be very organized. First off, the Harvest Valley/Earthen Peak area. This area is being ruled over by the Baneful Queen Mytha and she seems intent on spreading poison as far as possible. She has many servants that guard the tower, and troll-like creatures have been domesticated for this purpose. It seems that the machinery of the windmill is somehow being used to spread the poison, as when the windmill is burned some of it goes away. It is certainly a large operation with jars of whatever toxic substance is being used scattered all over the area (presumably to await distribution). I believe that Mytha is using pyromancy to make this posion. There are many powerful pyromancers in the area, and pyromancy has had links to deadly substances in the past (think of the acid and poison spells from DaS). The Coveteous Demon may also assist with this since he can belch a toxic substance, but it's hard to say for sure. What I would like to know is why Mytha is determined to poison Drangliec in the first place. My guess is that she was beheaded for practicing some dark art (possibly a strange form of pyromancy, possibly the use of Dark). Whatever it was, she managed to survive her beheading with these powers and escape. Presumably, these events in some way made her wish to poison the land. Perhaps she wishes to rule over it, since she now revels in poison as do her followers. This is very speculative, but it seems that she was indeed queen of Drangleic for a time. There are many enemies like knights in the Earthen Peak that must have remained loyal to her in her exile, and have become decrepit over the years. Mytha is also linked to the Coveteous Demon in some way. The description of the bone scythe reads "That thing that ended up as a monstrous fiend, what was it to begin with, and why did it never leave the queen? Perhaps it was entranced by some perversion of love". This implies that the Demon underwent some transformation which ended with his present form. I think that whatever caused this resulted in Mytha's transformation into a snake-like being as well. Possibly she gained whatever powers she obtained through this demon, and they were banished together. Next, who is that Gray Knight? I've found him in the Forest of Giants and the Lost Bastille so far. It seems to me that he is some undead knight on a quest, though for what I don't know. He drops Heide weaponry, so he is certainly related to Heide. It seems that he has been on this quest for a very long time too. everything about him seems worn and tattered. He's taken some damage too. In my second encounter with him it looked like he had the shafts of two arrows sticking out of one eye slot. He doesn't attack unless provoked, so he may be an undead who has yet to become fully hollow, but is beyond rational communication. Also, who is the Lost Sinner? I don't have any theories regarding him, but he was obviously a very menacing prisoner. He has an enormous cell and has somehow retained access to a sword in his captivity. He was definetly meant to suffer terribly. The item description of his mask mentions that it has spikes on the inside that are meant to torment whoever wears it. Perhaps his sin and consequent sentence are related to the great soul in his possession. I would appreciate any thoughts regarding this particular puzzle. No Man's Wharf. This place doesn't seem to have much signicance, but the description of one of the boss weapons makes me curious. It reads: "Long ago, the dungeons overflowed with the accursed, and the King commanded a contorted sentry to deliver those who had no cells to a faraway land, and to make certain they were never heard from again". Drangliec doesn't seem like the place where the occupants of the Wharf came from, as a "faraway land" is mentioned. Perhaps this area provides some weak link to Lordran or another land. Iron Keep. It seems pretty clear what happened here. A prideful king built an enormous castle of iron, which was so large that it began to sink into the ground. Either the nearby mines for the iron or the sinking if the castle itself seem to have awoken some demonic force below. This force rose up, spreading lava, and claimed the castle. It also possessed the king and turned him into what is referred to in some item descriptions as the Beast. "The Iron King's flesh was charred, and his soul possessed by the things that lurk below". I wonder if there is some greater importance to the Beast or the force that created it. A lot of emphasis was placed on the Beast in the games trailers and the curse seems like it might be linked to the flame itself somehow. Finally, I would like to mention the Undead Purgatory area. This is a prison where the prisoners are undead that are constantly tormented by the executioner and his chariot. This could be caused by an early misunderstanding of the nature of the curse, but it seems like someone was trying to accellerate the hollowing process. Furthermore, the word "purgatory" implies that utopia will be reached through suffering. Precisely why would anyone want more hollows? Alright, those are my thoughts for now. Please let me know what you think, and if you have any ideas of your own I would love to hear them. tl/dr: It's Dark Souls lore. There's no such thing. Edit: Found a great discussion that answers a lot of questions [url=http://www.reddit.com/r/DarkSouls2/comments/20ijxw/lets_talk_lore_the_inheritors_of_the_great_ones/]here[/url]. Edit2: I noticed something that pretty much confirms the Lost Sinner inheriting the Witch of Izalith's soul. When you kill the Lost Sinner in ng+ she drops the "Old Witches Soul" which can be traded with Ostrava to make the Chaos Blade.