My name is Zeke, and this is my journal as I begin to find my place in the Land's Between. Luckily, I met with a merchant named Kale, and he was able to set me up with pen and paper so that I may ink this chronicle. However, that comes later in this report.
To begin, allow me to say hello to you, dear reader. I appreciate your time, and I hope that you might find some measure of enjoyment in the reading.
To begin, I found myself on an island cliff face. In the distance, I could see what must be Stormveil castle with the Erdtree glowing in the night sky. I cinched up my loincloth, gripped my club, and steeled myself for my journey ahead. The path led to an odd green mist surronding a doorway. As I approached to explore it, a monstrous abomination dropped down from the sky. This spider-like creature appeared to be grafted from the limbs of my brethren. Enraged, I let out a roar and leaped at the creature. However, his shield turned me away, and I was overcome by his sword blows.
This should have been my end, but I found myself whole of body in a damp cave. The smell of the sea was even sharper here than on that island, so I surmised that I might have washed ashore here after the monster disposed of my body. It is no small miracle that I am still alive. Also, this cave was lit, and there was a ghostly form seated before a pit. I climbed down into the pit, curious at the soft glow I saw down there. This glow was a golden light, that shone warmly in my eyes. I sat down before it, basking in its aura.
A sense of peace came over me, and I felt my old strength return. Standing, I continued down into the cave. Soon, I found a man standing on the path ahed of me. I strode up, calling out a greeting; however, he merely growled and lunged at me with his sword. I was able to leap aside and put my club to work. He crumpled under a single hit.
The pathway continued and I continued to be attacked by these odd figures. I could make out the designs of their surcoats, and I made a note of it.
Near what would be the end of the path, I met with a stronger knight who charged at me when I entered his section of the cave, full of inch deep water.
Zeke's fight with Soldier of Godrick
I know that he was stronger as it took several blows of my club to lay his body to rest. Bloodied and weary, I made my way towards the surface. I found another place of light, which I rested at, noticing that some strange magic blocked my way into a large room, and there was an imp statue next to it. I made another mental note to return back here.
Past two more rooms, I found an elevator, which led me out of the underground and out into the sunlit world.
Rolling my neck, I strode forward, lured by the golden light in front of me, and curious to see if the white masked man near it was hostile. As I approached, the stranger held still mask pointed towards me. He was clothed in white, and he explained to me the state of affairs for the nearby region. He told me that I am on a quest to be the Elden Lord, but that I will likely fail as I don't have a Finger Maiden accompanying me. He also told me that the gold light that I have been seeing is a site of grace, and that it'll point my way to where I should go on my quest. This man doesn't seem to care for the Two Fingers, and I wonder why this is. I hope to talk with him again some day. I am also beginning to wonder what would happen if I did not follow the instructions of the site of grace, but I kept my thoughts to myself.
I could see the ruins of a church to the north of me, and so I decided to trudge up in that direction. I saw a proud knight on horseback walking from the church towards the area I was. I then made the biggest mistake in my life, thinking that he might aid me and help me to understand more of the world. However, the knight simply snarled at me, lowered his halberd, and spurred his horse into a gallop. I broke into a run, dodging past his attack. My goal was the church up on the hill. I ran through the doorway, hoofbeats rushing behind me.
"Sanctuary!" I shouted. I could see a masked, capped man ressting by a fire in the wreck of this church. He merely glanced up as I rushed to hug the site of grace. As my hands touched the grace, the mounted knight descended upon me.
I awoke at the foot of the grace. The knight wasn't to be seen, but the capped man was still there. He greeted me and told me that his name was Kale. It was odd that he made no mention of the attack I just suffered from, but I wasn't able to ask him about it as he began to speak. He said that he and his people are all merchants. They set up shop all over the Lands Between, and they are happy to buy and sell items with me, but I need to be sure to not harm any of them for they do not forgive easily. Kale also recommended that I purchase an item crafting kit, which I did on the spot. I also mentioned the very journal that you're reading at this point. I was appreciative of Kale's friendliness, especially after my meeting with the man in white on top of all of the soldiers and knights who have been aggressive towards me. I decided not to press him about what occurred as I didn't wish to spoil this new friendship.
Having nothing else to do, I opted to follow the path out of the church and towards a forest. The woods were full of soldiers, all wearing the same insignia. I grew weary of my nakedness and decided to locate their camp and steal clothes for myself. I made my way through the forest, hugging the north wall. This led me to a cave, but it was too dark for me to explore, so I opted to return after I found a torch or lantern. Exiting the cave, I came upon a camping soldier. While I couldn't take his clothes without attacking him, his sword was lying carelessly on the ground. I crept up, stole the sword, and returned to the cave mouth. Hugging the wall, I emerged to see a ruined fort, patrolled by soldiers directly in front of me.
As I approached the ruins, I could make out a site of grace to the north of it. I avoided the fort for now, and went to rest at the grace. Something different happened this time, however. As I was meditating in front of the glowing light, a cloaked woman appeared out of nowhere. She told me that her name was Melina. She said that she could act as my maiden if I promised to take her to the foot of the Erdtree. I was intrigued to be sought out like this. I wondered if the Greater Will had something in store for me.
She also gifted me with a ring. She told me that it would allow me to call a mount called Torrent. I marveled at such a gift and thanked her profusely. She nodded her thanks and bid me a good night.
Once she left, I decided that it was time to get some clothes. After spending some time, surveying their patrol pattern, I stealthily entered the camp. Unfortunately, a guard spotted me searching through their tents, so I had to run out of the camp. However, he caught up with me, and I defended myself. I was able to dive into some bushes before the other sentries came, alerted by their comrades cries.
I went back in after they called off their search, but I was too hasty. The captain of the camp went out to investigate the body. He spotted me and quickly cut me down.
Again, I woke up from the attack, lying beside the site of grace near the camp. That captain was too much for me, especially when I did not have any armor. I needed to go back into the camp to find some. This time, I went into the camp from the side. Luckily, there was a washroom on that side, and a guard had removed his armor before showering. It felt comforting to have something on. I also found a greatsword near the gear, and I traded my other sword out for it. Now that I was feeling more confident, I quickly silenced all of the guards in the camp. The captain was completely unaware of the danger he was in when he finally saw me, standing ready in the center of the camp. The fight was bloody and brief. I saluted the warrior, for he was a worthy advesary.
At this point, I felt that I should go against the guidance of the grace. This land appeared to be vast, and there were vistas to the south and east that I hadn't yet seen. I called forth Torrent, and made my way away from the Stormgate. It didn't take long, until I heard a voice calling out. I went to investigate the calling, and I came upon a clump of bushes. It wasn't until I stumbled upon him that the stranger removed his disguise. It was a demihuman smartly dressed! He said that his name was Boc and he was thrown out of his cave by his fellows. However, he doesn't have his possessions, and he would appreciate it if I were to go and claim his items for him.
Next, I decided to visit Kale again. He seemed to know about this land, and I wondered if he had any ideas on where to go. With Torrent carrying me, it was no problem to return to Kale's church. I was surprised to see cold mists swirling around the floor. Then a soft voice called out to me. I turned and saw a blue woman, seated upon the wall, the moon lighting the sky behind her. She introduced herself as Renna. She recognized Torrent and gave me a bell as well as a vial of ashes. She explained that the bell can call out the spritis of the departed housed within the ashes. This vial contained the ashes of wolves, all of whom were cast out of their packs. When called, the wolves would defend me, even up to their dissolution. However, they would still be able to be called again in the future.
I was amazed and delighted by this gift, thinking on the mounted knight. She then said goodbye and mysteriously disappeared. I pondered her gift and the implications that it might create. However, I still had to do what I came here to do.
Kale proved to be a great help. He informed me that there was a church dedicated to Marika to the east of here where a wonderous item could be found. I thanked him for the information and mounted Torrent. I decided that I didn't need to wait for the sun to rise before seeking this item. The ride was long and there were many soldiers that I had to avoid. There was even a mounted rider on the bridge, but I opted The road grew so thick with soldiers that I had to leave the road entirely and lead torrent across the wild terrain. At one point, demi-humans attacked, and I had to dispatch the creatures.
Apparently, I had an audience to my deeds. No sooner had my blade stilled, then I heard a voice haughtily call out to me from on top of a ruin. I hailed the man and guided Torrent up the slope to see what he had to say. The man introduced himself as Kenneth Haight, next in line to rule Limgrave. I pondered how such a man could be here, amongst so many demihumans, when he comes from such a noble lineage. I asked him about it, and he told me that he had been removed from his fort down south, on the other side of the Mistwoods. An obsessed for blood knight had rallied the soldiers there and Kenneth had to flee before they killed him. He asked me to clear his fort for him, promising, after some negotiation, a reward. I agreed, though I said that I needed to go to the Church of Marika that was nearby first. He said this was splendid as the church was on the way to the fort. I gave him my pledge and continued east.
The church was an easy ride, and I did find the wonderous item, which was a bottle that I could fill with replenishing magic. I then guided Torrent south, towards the Mistwoods. Through the fog, I could make out lumbering shapes, which I identified as bears once I heard their grumbling at my passing. I kicked Torrent into a gallop and we raced out of the woods with bears close behind us. Once we cleared the trees, they stopped their pursuit.
Torrent and I stopped to rest at another site of grace. The pathway up to the fort was guarded by a soldier manning a ballista in the tower. In fact, the fort was being attacked by several demihumans. While the soldier was focused on the attackers, I guided Torrent through. In fact, Torrent was so nimble, that we leaped up twenty feet to land on a ledge over the pathway. From here, we were able to approach the fort's gate. There were several soldiers standing outside of the door, but it was getting late, and they weren't expecting a man to come bellowing from behind them. After they all fell, I approached the doorway.
Before entering, I remembered Renna's gift and called forth the spirit wolves. We all entered the keep, roaring our fury. There were many soldiers inside, along with giant rats. However, with the aid of the wolves, we were able to clear the lower levels. I climbed up the stairs hugging the wall, and when I got to the top, I noticed two things. The first was that I had a vicious cut to the side. The second was that there was only one wolf left, and it was looking worse than myself.
I remembered what Kale told me about creating my own items, and I took a few pots that I found in my loincloth when I woke up and filled them with a variety of common materials as well as the wings of smoldering butterflies, which I had found in that intial fort ruins that I cleared. With these ingredients, I created a set of firebombs. Then, hugging my side, I rushed on to the top floor. Up there, I found the usurpacious knight. Blood was dripping from his sword, though he had not yet taken part in the fighting. I could hear a metallic laughing emanating from his helmet, which was deeply disturbing with all of the blood dripping from him.
The fight was long and deadly. However, I was able to find an opening, and with the last of my strength, I threw a firebomb that burst apart when it struck his visor. Clutching his burning head, the knight fell to his knees, and I was able to end his suffering with a slash of my sword. Breathing hard, barely alive, I continued my search of the fort. This led me up a final tower, at the top of which was a chest containing a strange medallion. I put this in my pocket and rested against the wall, surveying the Lands Between and realizing that I had a long journey ahead of me.
