THE GRAND ARCHIVES

In the beginning, there was no Erdtree. Life originated from the Crucible, a primordial state where all life was blended together. This "soup of life" is why creatures like the Omens, Misbegotten, and Ancestral Followers possess horns, wings, or tails—remnants of that ancient era when these traits were considered holy.

The world was ruled by the Ancient Dragons, led by Dragonlord Placidusax. He was the first Elden Lord, serving a god that eventually abandoned the Lands Between. Simultaneously, underground civilizations like the Nox (Eternal Cities) thrived, though they were later banished by the Greater Will for attempting to create an artificial lord.

The world of Elden Ring is a chessboard for cosmic entities known as Outer Gods, who influence the world through human vessels.

• The Greater Will: The architect of the Golden Order. It sent a golden star to the Lands Between, which became the Elden Ring.
• The Frenzied Flame: Seeks to melt the entire world back into a single, chaotic "One" through madness.
• The Formless Mother: A god of wounds and blood, she is the patron of Mohg, Lord of Blood.
• The God of Scarlet Rot: Sealed away beneath the Lake of Rot, this entity uses Malenia as its unwilling vessel.
• The Dark Moon: A mysterious cosmic force associated with Princess Ranni and the sorcerers of Raya Lucaria.

Marika, a Numen woman, was chosen as an Empyrean (a candidate for godhood) by the Two Fingers. She ascended to godhood at the Gate of Divinity, becoming the vessel for the Elden Ring. To establish her "Golden Order," Marika performed a world-altering act: she removed the Rune of Death from the Elden Ring and gave it to her shadow-beast, Maliketh.

With death "sealed," the Erdtree grew to its full glory, and the inhabitants of the Lands Between became effectively immortal, their souls returning to the tree upon physical expiration.

To conquer the Lands Between, Marika married Hoarah Loux, the most savage warrior on earth. He took the name Godfrey and became the First Elden Lord. He led the "War against the Giants" and defeated the Storm Lord.

However, once all enemies were slain, Marika stripped Godfrey and his warriors of their golden "Grace." They were exiled from the Lands Between to live and die in distant lands. These outcasts became the Tarnished, destined to one day return.

During the expansion of the Golden Order, a red-haired champion named Radagon fought the Carian Royal Family in Liurnia. Instead of conquering them, he married Queen Rennala, uniting magic and religion. They had three children: Radahn, Rykard, and Ranni.

When Marika exiled Godfrey, Radagon abruptly left Rennala and returned to the capital to become Marika's second husband.

The Ultimate Secret: Through item descriptions and the Law of Regression, it is revealed that "Radagon is Marika". They are two different personalities sharing the same physical body—one a god of the Golden Order, the other its ultimate dissenter.

Ranni the Witch, refusing to be a puppet of the Greater Will, stole a fragment of the Rune of Death from Maliketh. She used it to imbue the daggers of Numen assassins.

On a single night, the assassins murdered Godwyn the Golden, Marika's favorite son. But Ranni orchestrated a ritual so that Godwyn's soul died while her physical body died. This created the first "living corpse"—Godwyn became the Prince of Death, his soulless body mutating and spreading Deathblight across the world.

Marika and Godfrey's twins, Morgott and Mohg, were born with horns—a sign of the ancient Crucible now considered a curse by the Golden Order. They were cast into the sewers of Leyndell.

• Morgott: Remained loyal to the Erdtree despite its rejection. He became the "Veiled Monarch" and protected the capital during the Shattering.
• Mohg: Embraced his cursed blood, found the Formless Mother, and kidnapped Miquella to start a new "Mohgwyn" dynasty.

Miquella and Malenia were the twin children of Radagon and Marika. Being born from a single god, they were cursed: Malenia with the Scarlet Rot, and Miquella with eternal childhood.

Miquella abandoned the Golden Order because it could not cure his sister. He created "Unalloyed Gold" to ward off Outer Gods and grew the Haligtree, intended to be a sanctuary for those rejected by the Erdtree. However, before it could fully bloom, Miquella was kidnapped by Mohg while slumbering inside a cocoon.

Driven to despair by Godwyn's death (or as a final act of rebellion), Queen Marika shattered the Elden Ring. The shards (Great Runes) were claimed by her demigod children. This sparked an apocalyptic war called The Shattering.

No demigod could become the next Elden Lord. The war reached a stalemate in Caelid, where Malenia and Radahn fought to a standstill. Malenia unleashed the Scarlet Rot, ruining Caelid and driving Radahn insane. Seeing no victor, the Greater Will abandoned the demigods.

The Land of Shadow is where the Numen (Marika's people) were tortured by the Hornsent in jars to create "Saints." Marika ascended to godhood at the Gate of Divinity to avenge her people, then "veiled" this land to hide her origins and her crusade.

In this realm, Messmer the Impaler (Marika's secret son) led a genocidal crusade against the Hornsent. Now, Miquella has journeyed here, discarding his flesh and his love to follow his mother's footsteps into a terrifying new divinity.

Metyr, Mother of Fingers: It is revealed here that the Two Fingers are broken messengers. Metyr, the first daughter of the Greater Will, lost contact with her father eons ago, leaving the Golden Order operating on "dead signals."

Now, the Guidance of Grace has returned to the long-exiled Tarnished. You, a warrior of no renown, are called back to the Lands Between. Your mission is simple yet impossible: cross the fog, hunt the demigods, claim their Great Runes, and stand before the Elden Ring to become the new Elden Lord.

Rise, Tarnished, and let grace lead the way.