Drangleic

Drangleic was an ancient Kingdom on the Eastern Continent of Dwyrain and was ruled by its one and only King, Vendrick and currently occupied by Morion.
== History ==
=== Birth of a Kingdom ===
During the Third Age when adventurers had discovered that there was a large landmass on to the East of Gorlewynn many began to search for places to settle with one of these being a set of two brothers known as Vendrick and Aldia who together founded Drangleic which overtime became a Kingdom, ruled by King Vendrick and his advisor would be his brother Aldia. Drangleic in the years following the beginning of its official Kingdom status was very expansive, consistently building to expand its borders becoming one of the largest kingdoms ever to be created, rivalling that of even Lordran. Construction on the main castle of Drangleic also began approximately 30 years after the founding of the Kingdom and was built deep in the mountain range. 
Aldia believed that the area on which the castle was being built was filled with very strong and powerful magic and felt that with the castle being built on this place would strengthen it, but could not identify the reason at why, but the construction of the castle continued. Aldia constructed his own keep within the lands of Drangleic so that he can work on his studies of the world, keeping records of all that had transpired and began to study the First Flame, leading him to become known as the Scholar of the First Sin. Several small locations in Drangleic were also built and/or places that became part of the Kingdom. Places such as Majula on the Western most coast of Drangleic served as a small trading town and also the Bastille acting as a fortress on the coast as well as a place for people to live.
It was said that much changed with the arrival of King Vendrick's wife Nashandra, who many thought to be a witch that had enticed and charmed the King though this was not evident at the time but much changed when Nashandra suggested that King Vendrick should journey outside of Drangleic. She believed that an island housed a great and powerful artifact that she could 'sense' was there and that it would cement Drangleic into the history books and as such Vendrick followed his wife's 'orders'. When he arrived on the island however, it turned out that the island was populated with a race that had never been seen before, being that of the Giants. The giants greeted Vendrick with a friendly attitude and welcomed him onto the island, stating that the island was called Varangia and they the Giants of Varangia. Spurned on by Nashandra's words however, Vendrick feigned interest with them, only to be led to their great hall where the artifact, which turned out to be a sacred item of the Giants, had been housed. On the third day that they were there, Vendrick stole the sacred item in secret and before leaving managed to subdue one of the giants and take them back to the ship. The Giants only realised what had happened days after Vendrick had secretly left, but the stealing of their sacred item was something that they could not tolerate and so, the Giants declared war on Humanity.
=== The War Which Brought A Kingdom Low ===
The War of the Giants was one of the greatest wars in history, as it encompassed almost the entire world. The sheer amount of giants that came from Varangia was almost incomprehensible and the fleet that they brought with them was larger than any other in the world. Not only this but the size of these ships to house the Giant race were a sight to behold and was said to almost completely shroud the horizon with how big they were. The giants first landed on the shores of Gorlewynn, as they had no clue where Vendrick had come from as their perspective of the world outside of Varangia was practically non-existent, but seeing as this was a war on all Humans, it mattered nonetheless. A giant known as Gormoth, the one who greeted Vendrick when he arrived on Varangia, took it upon himself to lead them, declaring himself officially as the Grand Sovereign, which was universally accepted by all Giants. As the giants landed on Gorlewynn, it turned out that they had landed on the shores of Catarina, which at the time was being led by King Aldricius II Catarina who met the Giants on the beaches and the battle officially began. A smaller force managed to land on the Western Shores of Dwyrain, with the Giants easily conquering the Kingdom of Heide, the first kingdom founded on Dwyrain and famous for its support struts that made it appear as if the kingdom was floating. The Giants rammed their ships into the support struts to destroy the kingdom, with the entire nation sinking into the ocean below and killing most of its inhabitants.
Not that many people understand how it happened, but Queen Nashandra managed to parley with the Giants, making them believe that they were not the ones to steal the sacred item and that the sacred item was actually in the hands of the King of Catarina and that he was the one that they were looking for. Of course if Vendrick had shown up to parley then this would have broken the illusion instantly, but Nashandra's seductive powers convinced the Giants, yet allowed them to stay on the continent in peace for the time being. The news of this alliance also never reached the Western continent and as such, Gormoth had no clue of this until later on. The location of Heide was also acquired by Drangleic, further enhancing the size of the Kingdom. The war in Catarina raged for three years from 217-220FY, but rumour had reached Drangleic that Catarina was turning the tide of the war, especially following the infamous Battle of the Beaches. Prior to this battle however, Vendrick ordered the slaughter of all Giants that were located on the Eastern Continent which managed to be pulled off successfully. Following the Battle of the Beaches however, Gormoth treated with King Aldricius, which is when he first learned of the alliance of Drangleic and the Giants and their subsequent betrayal, realising that the enemy they have been fighting for the last three years had nothing to do with the treachery, yet respected them nonetheless for their fighting skill. The Giants subsequently pulled all their forces from Catarina and Gorlewynn and began to sail East with one goal: To conquer and destroy the Kingdom of Drangleic.
Many minor kingdoms came together to help the Kingdom of Drangleic with the war that is to follow. These included the Alonne Kingdom and the Kingdom of Earthen Peak. Both the Eastern Lands and Mirrah wished to help in the chaos that was to come, but were too enrolled in their own war with the Kingdom of Forossa and as such could not lend their aid. The Giants assaulted the Western coast, soon establishing their own fortified position which came to be known as the Forest of the Giants. The war in Drangleic was very much a slow one, due to the terrain and mountainous region making battles very difficult to engage for both parties. As such the Giants focused on the smaller Kingdoms instead, which resulted in the destruction of the Earthen Peak and it being turned into a toxic wasteland. Smugglers of Drangleic managed to make a hidden cove for taking survivors and food to people on the Western Coast, becoming known as No-mans Wharf. The trading village of Majula became a somewhat neutral ground between both the Giants and the Drang, which in turn made it a safe haven. The reason for this neutrality agreement is somewhat overshadowed by the ensuing war and as a result it is not truly known as to how it was achieved, but achieved it was nonetheless. At some point Vendrick sent a messenger to Gormoth with the Sacred Relic, believing that he could assuage the Giants of which Gormoth accepted, but Gormoth effectively just took back the relic and continued the war.
During this time, the First Flame began to fade for only the second time in history and as such brought back the curse of the undead once again. Bonfires began to be constructed around Solara in an attempt to guide the undead to the powers of the first flame and rejuvenate them. Some people even travelled overseas to Dwyrain and began constructing these bonfires across the continent despite there being a war in progress. With the undead curse and the war, Drangleic was effectively brought low, with the undead causing chaos across the entire kingdom.
=== The Turning of the Tide ===
For nearly 200 years, the Giants and the Drang stayed at war with each other, though not many battles happened, there was still a strong animosity to the Giants that were living within the Kingdom. But the tide was about to change in Drangleics favour. In 246FY, Aldia discovered the reason as to why their was a strong sense of magic surrounding the location of Drangleic Castle. Deep below the earth, he discovered a passage leading a dome shaped structure, covered with ancient glyphs that were unreadable. Upon telling Vendrick, he discovered that he actually could read the glyphs, attributing it to the artifact that Vendrick had stolen years before and the reason the war had started. The glyphs suggested that with the ancient artifact, this dome shaped structure could be a way to link the fire, like that of Gwyn, which led Aldia to believe that this structure could have been built by Primordial Giants several hundred years ago, before destroying the entrance and leaving for Varangia. 
Vendrick also translates the text on the throne for Aldia which Aldia notes as this:
Each king has his rightful throne. And when he sits upon it, he sees what he chooses to see.
Or perhaps, it is the throne, which shows the king only what he wants.
The flames roar, but will soon begin to fade, and only a worthy heir might burnish their light. What is it, truly, a claimant of the throne could desire?
Following this translation, the structure became known as the Throne of Want.
It wasn't until 410FY that Vendrick disclosed this information to his wife, Queen Nashandra. Nashandra believed that it was Vendrick's duty to follow the steps of the Chosen Undead and search for the Great Souls which would make him powerful enough to take the throne and become a Lord of Cinder. Vendrick however was completely unaware that Nashandra was actually the one who wanted to take the throne for herself and merely using the King as a pawn. Nonetheless, Vendrick ventured to Gorlewynn to search for Gwyns power, of which he managed to find 4 old but Great souls, each of which represented a different aspect of life. In order to win this war, Vendrick first bestowed these souls amongst four of his greatest allies, much to the dismay of Nashandra, but Vendrick believed that it was necessary in order to finally defeat the giants. Before bestowing the souls however, Aldia researches these souls and determines them to be that of the Lord Souls of the First Flame, which he then names and bestows them accordingly:
The Old Paledrake Soul - Given to Duke Tseldora of the Duchy of Tseldora, to use advanced magics for the control of certain creatures to use against the Giants, including but not limited to Giant spiders especially. The Duchy of Tseldora as a result became part of Drangleic
The Old Witch Soul - Given to an Unknown Prisoner, locked up for unknown reasons but was once one of the greatest soldiers of Drangleic and promised freedom in return for her help.
The Old King Soul - Split, with half granted to the Iron King, who rules from the Iron Keep and dear friend of Vendrick and greatly expands his Iron Castle and floods a nearby volcano to surround his keep granting him natural defences. The other half Vendrick takes for himself in order to make himself more powerful too. The Old Iron King also agrees to bring his Kingdom as part of Drangleic, whilst still granting him the right of King.
The Old Dead One Soul - Granted to an unnamed researcher who studies the dead and diseases who uses the soul to become an amalgamation of countless bodies to bring death and disease on the Giants, similar to that of Nito.
The effect of these souls were dramatic and the Giants became heavily weakened with their use. Vendrick and the captain of his army Drummond assaulted the long held fortress in the Forest of the Giants Grand Sovereign Gormoth is slain by an unknown person and the giant's sacred relic is lost. The remaining Giants all eventually regroup on the Western shores of Dwyrain, with a plot to gather up all remaining forces and launch a last ditch direct assault on Drangleic Castle and at Vendrick himself orchestrated by the last general of the Army known as Fjorin the Unbreakable. Due to the sheer amount of Giants that were killed in the aptly named 'Destruction of the Forest Giants', the area becomes known as the Forest of the Fallen Giants. In an event known as the Giants Last Stand, Fjorin and the giants attempt to launch their assault on Drangleic Castle but are met long before they reach the Castle and slaughtered in an overwhelming victory for the defenders. Some giants are captured with minimal amounts surviving and fleeing the continent. Fjorins name is overtime forgotten, becoming known as The Last Giant making him believe that he is the last of his kind as he is imprisoned in the dungeon below the Forest of the Fallen Giants. Following this, it was then considered that the War of the Giants was finally over.
During the war several other Kingdoms became a part of Drangleic, much like the ones mentioned before being the Iron Kingdom, which was originally named the Alonne Kingdom after the Iron Kings good friend Sir Alonne from the Eastern Lands, but was infuriated by Sir Alonne's wish to journey around the world, seeking out Kingdoms to ally with the East and as such betrayed his word, never coming to help the Eastern Lands when they were at war with Forossa. Sir Alonne eventually did return to Dwyrain but when he did he discovered the Brume Tower, which was originally a long lost Kingdom known as Alken but was taken under the Iron Kings Kingdom within Drangleic when it fell to the giants, but when he got there became enthralled by a great black fog that resided there. The reason for this is because years earlier a Knight of Drangleic known as Sir Raime travelled there with a woman known as Nadalia, to see what remained of the Kingdom under the Iron Kings orders. Nadalia and Sir Raime effectively restored the Kingdom and the Brume Tower, by using her black magic, but unintentionally caused Sir Raime to fall under her spell, to forever guard her as the Fume Knight, with a similar effect happening to Sir Alonne.
Another famous Kingdom was that of Eleum Loyce, which whilst it was never part of Drangleic, it was always allied to it.
=== The Fall of Drangleic ===
Over the following hundred or so years several major events happened that led to the downfall of Drangleic outside of wartime. The giants that were captured during the Last Stand were tortured and experimented on to create mindless beings known as the Golems, ones without will of their own that served as slaves for Drangleic with the help of Aldia. In the year 518FY the First Flame began to fade once again which of course meant that there would be an ensuing chaos. Drangleic was still somewhat recovering from the War, as during the war the First Flame had begun to fade but was linked by the Chosen Undead and as a result, many hollowed undead began to roam the lands in both continents. Drangleic was no stranger to death and the curse of undeath began to settle in the lands once again. In a desperate attempt to try and find a curse for the curse of undeath, he enlists his brother Aldia to run experiments on a cursed undead, but realised very quickly that the ancient magic of the Darksign was too powerful to be undone and that there was indeed no cure for undeath, but disclosed this to no-one. The Old Iron King decided to try and round up and kill all of the undead within his lands. As such The Iron King turns areas of his kingdom outside of the Iron Keep into cells and turns certain lands into Undead hunting grounds, which became known as the Huntsman's Copse and employs the Executioners Chariot to hunt down rogue undead. Vendrick also creates a set of Knights with the sole purpose of hunting across all of the continent those who have been reborn as undead and become simply known as The Pursuers in an attempt to try and stop the chaos. 
In a strange turn of events, Nashandra states that her soul could potentially be the key and gifts a part of it to Aldia to study thinking that she could have a way to control the undead. This however ended up being Nashandra's undoing as Aldia discovers that Nashandras soul is similar to that of the Abyss, which links her back to Manus, Father of the Abyss. He realises that her soul manifested from Manus to represent the aspect of Manus's want for power. Aldia reveals this to Vendrick, who discovers her true nature and what she coveted all along, The First Flame and that she had been using him for centuries to work towards this goal. King Vendrick in his grief starts putting in failsafe's, to ensure Nashandra cant take the throne and the first flame, knowing that it can only be done . Vendrick and Aldia create the Shrine Of Winter at the only entrance to Drangleic Castle, with magical barriers so that only the wielder of the 4 Old Souls can pass through, as well as completely shrouding the surrounding forest in mist to enhance the difficulty of finding the Shrine. This in turn seals Nashandra within the castle, preventing her from leaving to get the souls herself and discloses the information of the Giants sacred item, simply to taunt her that she will never have that power. Aldia however remains outside the Castle and enchants a ring for Vendrick, stating its the only key to the entrance of the Throne and then Aldia goes into exile in his own keep. Vendrick also places two unnamed knights within the Throne room itself simply known as the Watcher and Defender, as essentially a last line of defence should something make their way into the throne room. Vendrick then proceeds to lock himself deep in Drangleic Castle's crypt and places his greatest knight Velstadt at the door to protect his body and the ring alike, knowing Nashandra would never be powerful enough to defeat Velstadt. Vendrick separates himself from his great soul and soon after loses his will to live, turning into a hollowed undead soon after.
Everything began to go wrong for the several other kingdoms and great soul users following the disappearance of King Vendrick. The Iron Keep, no longer able to take the weight of its own Keep, starts sinking into the volcano in which it is built. In an attempt to save his beloved keep, The Old Iron King plunges deep into the lava to try and raise the keep out of the lava and reinforce it, unwillingly fusing his Old Soul with the magic within the lava and becoming an huge demon like creature which due to the course of the magic and the soul combined causes him to go mad and start destroying any life outside of the keep, effectively sealing those inside and causing them to go hollow. The wielder of the Old Dead One Soul creates a place deep below Majula to keep experimenting on the hollows and help him become a horrific pile of sentient bodies of hollows. He also builds a huge sewer entrance in the centre of Majula and requests hollows be dropped down straight to him. The Duke Of Tseldora, is consumed by one of his loyal pet spiders called Freja which in turn consumes the great soul within, transforming her into a gigantic Arachnid and comes to rule the domain of Tseldora. Lastly The Unknown Prisoner and wielder of the Old Witch Soul once again imprisons herself as an act of self-punishment due to a heavy burden of sin from the soul itself and becomes known as the Lost Sinner and the keep in which she has been imprisoned as Sinners Rise which in turn is located in the Bastille, now known as the Lost Bastille.
During the war several other Kingdoms became a part of Drangleic, much like the ones mentioned before being the Iron Kingdom, which was originally named the Alonne Kingdom after the Iron Kings good friend Sir Alonne from the Eastern Lands, but was infuriated by Sir Alonne's wish to journey around the world, seeking out Kingdoms to ally with the East and as such betrayed his word, never coming to help the Eastern Lands when they were at war with Forossa. Sir Alonne eventually did return to Dwyrain but when he did he discovered the Brume Tower, which was originally a long lost Kingdom known as Alken but was taken under the Iron Kings Kingdom within Drangleic when it fell to the giants, but when he got there became enthralled by a great black fog that resided there. The reason for this is because years earlier a Knight of Drangleic known as Sir Raime travelled there with a woman known as Nadalia, to see what remained of the Kingdom under the Iron Kings orders. Nadalia and Sir Raime effectively restored the Kingdom and the Brume Tower, by using her black magic, but unintentionally caused Sir Raime to fall under her spell, to forever guard her as the Fume Knight, with a similar effect happening to Sir Alonne.
Another famous Kingdom was that of Eleum Loyce, which whilst it was never part of Drangleic, it was always allied to it due to its close relation to it and founded by a man known only as the Ivory King. Filled with icy landscapes, its doom came about several years after the war, when deep beneath the earth, a flame of chaos erupted, threatening to destroy the city. Many linked this to the Flame of Chaos created by the Witch of Izalith or at least this was what was determined by Aldia and that it decided to settle in the coldest place on earth which was that of Eleum Loyce. Alsanna, a silent oracle of Eleum Loyce was tasked by the Ivory King with praying in a great cathedral at the mouth of the Chaos in an attempt to sooth the flames, but is unsuccessful. The knights of Eleum Loyce, led by Sir Fabian delve into the earth to destroy the flame and the beasts created by it but are all defeated. As an act of desperation, the Ivory King orders all magic blocking the cold and snow entering the kingdom to be halted and releases the doors of the Ivory Gates to allow the cold to take over the Chaos. The cold holds the flame from spreading, but kills the majority of the population, sealing Eleum Loyce to its frozen doom.
Lastly there was the Kingdom of Shulva. Founded by adventurers who worshipped the Ancient Dragons upon the discovery of a slumbering dragon deep beneath the earth, this Kingdom fell when a knight known as Sir Yorgh of the Eastern Lands travelled there to seek the blood of the dragon as was their custom as a Drakeblood Knight. Yorgh however besieged the city and slew the Sunken King, but his wife, Elana managed to survive the siege and flee the kingdom. Yorgh awakened the dragon, which in turn was revealed to be Sinh, the great dragon cut from the sky in the War of Souls and upon its awakening engulfs the city in a toxic cloud slaying most of the population, with few survivors escaping. Elana later on returned to the city and accompanied Sinh and became known as Elana, The Squalid Queen.
Aldias' research in exile grants him the ability to be practically omniscient in terms of all those linked to the Dark Soul and as such, can see all. He discovers that Nashandra had three sisters, who are also born from shards of Manus and all represent different representations of him. It was known that Nashandra represented his lust and want for power but her sisters Elana, represented his hatred and wrath, Alsanna, represented his fear and desperation and Nadalia, represented his loneliness and despair. Aldia also discovers that all Humans carry the undead curse during the fading of the fire, they simply have to die for it to affect them. He also creates a magical item known as the Ashen Mist Heart, with the ability to see the memories of dead Giants, though the reason for this at the time is known only to Aldia. He sends the Ashen Mist Heart from his keep and gives it to a Guardian to hold it, until the true wielder comes forth for it. Aldia however through all his experimentation and research has drastic consequences. The research has an effect on his form which causes him to inhabit all bonfires across Dwyrain, essentially becoming one with the First Flame, yet unable to link it and stop the undead curse.
The guardian that Aldia had gifted the Ashen Mist Heart to was that of an Ancient Dragon, managed to partner with the God of War Faraam to create a haven for the dragons with Emperor Isshin of the Eastern Lands agreeing that several of the dragons in the kingdom would be taken to this haven so that they can be safe, with the Ancient Dragon being their leader. This meant that the Ashen Mist Heart was kept safe, as nobody dared to enter where dragons ruled.
=== The Bearer of the Curse ===
News of Drangleics fall reaches every corner of the earth, a mighty and powerful kingdom which conquered the race of Giants had now essentially been destroyed, with King Vendrick missing and entry to the castle all but impossible. But another piece of news also began to circle around the world and that was that Aldia had been working on a cure for the undead curse, which was indeed the truth, but the story became somewhat fabricated to the point that it was believed that locked away in the castle, the cure had already been made, it was just impossible to get it. A firekeeper from Astora by the name of Shanalotte has a prophecy, claiming that an Cursed Undead from the land of Lordran will travel to Drangleic in search of Aldia's cure to the Undead curse. This person will be known as the Bearer Of The Curse. She then travels to Majula, to await the arrival of the Bearer and goes by the name of the Emerald Herald.
Low and behold, in the year 637FY one cursed man, set out to try and find a cure for this curse and upon hearing that Drangleic potentially had one created by the brother of the King, sets out to the Eastern Continent. Upon landing in Majula the Emerald Herald greets him, saying he is the prophesied bearer of the curse and is to be the next true Monarch of Drangleic. His task was to collect all of the Old Souls to become powerful enough to enter through the shrine of winter and claim the Throne, becoming the next and final Monarch of Drangleic and stopping the undead curse. The Bearer travelled around the Kingdoms, slaying each of the 4 holders of the Old Souls. He then travelled to the shrine of winter with guidance from the Emerald Herald who reveals her name is Shanalotte. The Shrine of Winter opens for him, becoming the first to enter Drangleic castle in over 100 Years. Journeying through the Castle he ventures deep below to find Vendrick's crypt in which he slays Velstadt and finds Vendrick completely hollow and there he decided to put him out of his misery and claim his great soul. It was then that Aldia appeared to the Bearer, revealing that no one has come this far in search of becoming a monarch, not even that of Nashandra, the Queen. He also reveals that to become the king, he needs something known as the Giant's Kinship, the sacred relic that had been stolen years ago by King Vendrick and although it is lost he tells him to seek out the Ancient Dragon at the Dragon Shrine. 
The Bearer then travels to the Dragon Shrine through Aldia's own keep and makes contact with the Ancient Dragon, who had been waiting for the one that Aldia promised would come. There he bestows upon him the Ashen Mist Heart, which allows him to see the memories of the fallen, but not only that, the dragon warns that the Bearer can change them too. The Bearer ventures into a memory found on the outskirts of the Forest of the Fallen Giants and slays the Grand Sovereign Gormoth and claims the Giant's Kinship, revealing him to be the one that essentially ended the war, through a form of time paradox. Aldia then approached the Bearer of the Curse and told him that there was one last memory that he should witness and that was King Vendrick's himself, The bearer returned to the remains of the King and saw the visions of the King before he became hollow. Talking to him, the King instructs the bearer that to claim the throne and kill Nashandra, he should seek the crowns of the three ancient Kings, as then no one could question his claim of being a monarch and would be the true ruler of all Drangleic. Aldia also reveals that the reason for this is because these three crowns all had contact with the shards of Manus, meaning to stop Nashandra the three shards of Manus should be collected to use against her.
The Bearer then travelled to each of the three Kingdoms of the Brume Tower, Eleum Loyce and Shulva. He first defeated the Fume Knight and collected the shards of Nadalia, who had renounced her flesh and split her soul, casting it across the Brume Tower to enhance its effective range. He also put a rest to Sir Alonne, who wandered the tower endlessly for years. Finally, he claimed the Crown of the Iron King. Next he journeyed to Shulva and fought through the Sunken City, killing the Great Dragon Sinh and slaying Elana the Squalid Queen and claimed her soul, taking the Crown of the Sunken King for himself. His final journey was to the icy lands of Eleum Loyce, where he journeyed through the barren frozen city and slew the Burnt Ivory King where he hollowed near the flame of chaos, before taking his crown. Alsanna however did not put a fight up against the Bearer, instead granting him her shard of Manus willingly, thanking him for putting an end to the Ivory King, but stated that she needed to live to continue stopping the Flame of Chaos from taking over the whole world. With all three crowns, the Bearer combined them into the Crown of Drangleic, wearing the crown upon his head, ready for his last mission.
On his last journey the Bearer travels beneath Drangleic Castle and towards the Throne of Want and defeats the Throne Watcher and Defender placed there by Vendrick. As he tries to claim the throne however, the Queen Nashandra reveals her true Abyssal form and tries to claim it for herself, but the Bearer defeats her too. Aldia at this point also reveals himself and fights the Bearer, to see if he truly has what it takes in the form of one last battle and slays Aldia, although Aldia does not die and allows the Bearer to approach the Throne. The Bearer discovers that there is no cure for the curse that he sought this whole time, but rather just an empty throne to link the first flame. Despite this, he takes the throne and becomes the next Lord of Cinder. The Shrine of Winter also closes once more, sealing up Drangleic Castle. With the Giant's Kinship finally claimed and wielded, the idea of using the Throne of Want to link the flame becomes inconsequential, its ancient magic now extinct.
The gate to Aldias keep that was opened by the Bearer stays open and scholars flock to the keep to gather the research created by Aldia and his documentation of the history of Dwyrain. Aldia however is never seen again after the encounter with the Bearer and his fate is unknown, but due to his research of the Undead and the curse, he becomes known as the Scholar of the First Sin. Drangleic's seal via the Shrine of Winter however stayed intact, sealing the Kingdom off from the rest of the world once again, with no apparent way to enter and as such becomes a tomb to all of the hollows and warriors in there. The Bearer of the curse, similar to that of the Chosen Undead had several followers that helped him along the way, with noble heroes such as Lucatiel of Mirrah and Benhart of Jugo but we're rumoured to have perished in the Bearers quest for a cure. As such their names are only slightly mentioned in Aldia's journals of history, becoming a somewhat tragic tale of the journey that the Bearer took on.
=== Breaking The Ancient Seal ===
Drangleic laid dormant for nearly two millennia, forever frozen in time and place with no one able to enter and its magical potential lost. The Ashen One's quest to become a Lord of Cinder ended with him turning down the flame and letting it fade for the first time in history, which in turn foiled a plot by the Nation of Hollows known as Londor, who planned to usurp the First Flame and take its power for themselves. Londor was infamous for conquering almost the entire of the continent of Dwyrain, following the Eternal War which laid the continent low, especially with the demise of Drangleic. Londor as such had an entire continent to itself and remained unchallenged (with the exception of the Eastern Lands, who kept their name but were subjugated under Londorian rule) until now. Londor wished to gain revenge on the Ashen One, who had been proclaimed as the new ruler of Lothric (which in turn was renamed to Lorithia) and decided that they wished to march against him. Londor however did not foresee an oncoming coup and rebellion which had long been in the works in two of its locations. A man known as Ren incited his rebellion in the Eastern Lands, purging almost all of the undead army that Londor had commanded to be stationed at the Eastern Lands and also saw the death of one of the three leaders of Londor called the Sable Church. Simultaneously, the capital of Londor called Morion (which was initially the capital of Mirrah called Mirmark) a woman known as Muriel started her own rebellion, freeing the Emperor Isshin who had been captured hundreds of years before and retaking the city in the name of Mirrah. As such the fighting force of Londor fell drastically and the march against Lorithia effectively stopped.
Following these rebellions, there was only one leader left known as Lilliane, who evacuated the remaining cities with those who remained loyal to her and marched westward towards Lorithia nonetheless, sticking to the mountainous regions to hide from the Eastern Lands dragons. Due to the consistent linking of the flame, the lands began to converge around the First Flame and as such the continents began to merge, but with the fading of the first flame, the lands started to heal and Liliane's plan to reach Lorithia was foiled as they were now stuck on the Western Shores of Dwyrain and somewhat trapped. Instead she utilised the seals of Drangleic to hide the remnants of Londor and founded a new nation, under the name of their capital Morion, which served as a secret city for hundreds of years with shrouding magic. Eventually war was declared once again by Morion, assassinating Muriel's child in the process. One of the greatest battles of this war was that of the Battle of the River Drang, which took place on the border between Ancient Drangleic and Mirrah, with the river being named after the aforementioned kingdom.
Drangleics sealed status acted as a barrier for Morion throughout the war, warping the perception that the outside world had on it due to its large magical affinity. This changed however when the First Flame resurged into existence, which resulted in many of the souls that had been sacrificed to it being rebirthed into the world, with some finding new owners and some retreating to their original bodies, birthing them anew after hundreds if not thousands of years after their death. One of the great souls that represented an aspect of the world, like that of the four original souls of Light, Dark, Life and Death, had split from those to represent new aspects and one of those made its way into the hands of Lady Lilliane of Morion, which served as an Aspect of the Death Soul, representing Desolation, an extremely destructive power that could destroy at the touch of her hand. Lilliane then used her new found power to attempt to break the magical seal that had surrounded Drangleic for a millennia, of which she managed to do with ease, shattering the spell and opening Drangleic up for Morion to claim. There, Lilliane discovered the ancient power of the Pursuers, who, when commanded, would hunt people to the ends of the earth, a powerful weapon that would be utilised by Morion.