Ritualist from the Night's Kingdom

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**The Ritualist - From the Night's Kingdom** is a boss in *Dark Devotion*. It is the main boss of the Alabaster Citadel, and is accessed via the final Crusaders' Haven (#105). They are the last line of defence preventing the player from reaching the game's final area, the Heraldic Lily.

## Description

The Ritualist is a large humanoid figure wearing black robes and rusted chains, which appear to be connected directly to their body. Candles line the creature's back, implying that they have not moved for some time. They possess a skull-like face, but it is unclear whether they have no eyes or are simply wearing a white blindfold. They are constantly shrouded in a deep fog, obscuring the player's vision. They have the ability to summon demons, which look like cloaked figures with exposed hearts. Throughout the fight, they hold their left hand close to the key around their neck, protecting it. This key leads to the Heraldic Lily and is given to the player on The Ritualist's defeat. On defeat, they also drop The Book of Eibon.

## Lore

Even with how vague and cryptic *Dark Devotion* is, The Ritualist is easily one of the most mysterious bosses in the game. They are clearly a very important figure, as they possess the key to the Heraldic Lily, where the King's closest aides and allies lie in wait. The only thing we know for sure about The Ritualist is that they have a direct connection with Hell, or the Underworld. We know this by the description of the Trophy Guide#Defeat the Ritualist (Bronze) trophy achieved by defeating The Ritualist, which states, *"The night’s kingdom is a charming name demonologists use to mean Hell."*

Comparing this statement with both The Ritualist's name and ability to summon disposable servants and create fog at will implies that they have experienced and returned from The Night's Kingdom, and are somehow still alive. It is possible that the servant is one of the Temple priests, since the only other time we hear about The Night's Kingdom is in a priest's final message to a friend before he ventures into the unknown [unconfirmed]. This may also explain why he resides so deep into the Temple, at the end of the Obsidian Cathedral.

## Attacks

### Phase one:

* They will click their fingers, before collapsing for a few seconds. This signals that a crystal has appeared at the far left side of the boss room. This crystal will continuously summon demon minions until it is shattered. These demons are easily killed, but will attack using sickles. They can only use two moves: a single melee swipe or a quick ranged boomerang-style throw.

* The Ritualist will utter a deep roar, before the room fills with fog. This does no damage, but can obscure the previously mentioned demons from view.
* They will blow a long stream of fog directly in front of the player, which does no damage, but pushes the player towards the back of the room.
* After a strange, magic, crackling, shifting sound, a row of green skulls will appear along the room, before being thrown straight to the ground.
* After a short, deep thundering sound, the Ritualist will blast a beam of bright green energy from their finger. They can repeat this up to three times.

### Phase two:

* After reaching half health, the Ritualist can lower their head and hold their right hand on the ground. They will remain in this position for quite some time, leaving them completely open to attack. However, a green light will chase the player across the ground, and if the player touches it, a small pillar of skulls will burst out at that location, before promptly chasing the player again. This will persist for as long as the Ritualist has their head lowered, so it can be difficult to get hits in at this time.
* After a fast roar, they will slam their hand down at the player's position.

## Mysterious Voice

After defeating The Ritualist, the Templar Knight will hear a mysterious voice calling out to her.
* *"Hear my voice, answer my call."*
* *"Come close, come close..."*
* *"Are you listening, Templar?"*
* *"...Come to me."*