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During the reign of Queen Marika as the vessel for the Elden Ring, the Lands Between flourished. She sealed away the rune of death within Maliketh, leading to all the inhabitants of the land becoming immortal. As the vessel to the Elden Ring, Marika was furthering the guidance and influence of the Greater Will on the world.
While this immortality was initially seen as a good thing for the lands, some wished to rebel against the world and the Greater Will. Death would not come to anyone in the world, and to many, this seemed to take away the meaning of life, and they wanted the world to be free of the outer god’s control.
What Happened That Night?
While immortality was given to all the people in the world, it would make sense the demigods were also protected. On the night of the Black Knives, assassins with blades formed from a fragment of the rune of death killed Godwyn the Golden, Marika’s firstborn son. This not only reintroduced death into the world but hurt Marika greatly, as the first death was her firstborn son.
The special daggers used were only formed from a fragment of the rune of death, meaning that Godwyn’s death wasn’t full, and only his soul was killed. After hearing of her son’s death, Marika became enraged and shattered the Elden Ring, the exact reasoning being unclear. Marika’s actions could have simply been rage or despair at the news, but death was now possible, and the Shattering had begun.
Godwyn The Golden
Godwyn was buried at the roots of the Erdtree, but due to his body still being alive, he became the first of Those Who Live In Death. Being buried in the roots of the Erdtree in his half-dead state led to corruption and the rise of other undead bodies in the Lands Between.
Godwyn became worshiped as a God of Death by Those Who Live In Death, as he was their beginning. Those Who Live In Death are hunted by the Golden Order, as their existence represents the opposite of the immortality the Greater Will wished on the world.
Who Is Responsible?
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Through Ranni’s quest line, she informs the Tarnished that she was the one who orchestrated everything. Ranni stole a fragment of the rune of death from Maliketh and used it to make the Black Knives that could grant death. She initiated these events in the hopes of defying the Greater Will and freeing the world.
As things were before the night, the world was heavily under the influence of the Greater Will. Its power was absolute without the presence of the Rune of Death. In Ranni’s quest line, you learn that her goal was to free the people of the influence of the Greater Will and give true freedom to the Lands Between. By stealing the fragment of the rune, Ranni was able to reintroduce death into the world and break the order than had been established. She also used this night to destroy her Empyrean body, freeing her from her destiny and allowing her to follow the moon to make her own destiny.
