The lore ofElden Ringfollows the trend set by most FromSoftware titles, with much of the story and history of the game world being hidden behind long quests and item descriptions. This means that much of what caused the collapse of the Lands Between, such as the fall ofLeyndell Capital, is shrouded under a level of mystery.
WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD FOR ELDEN RINGHowever, the lineage of the character Nepheli Loux could possibly give some insight into what might have started the course of events that eventually led to The Shattering, the great war that has forever scarred the Lands Between. In fact, this one character might be the most important woman inElden Ring, as her father’s infidelity may have kick-started all of these events.
RELATED:Elden Ring Concurrent Player Count Has Dropped Dramatically
Who is Nepheli Loux?
The lore andbackstory of Nepheli Loux inElden Ringhas previously been explained in great detail, following her questline from being a faithful adoptive daughter to Gideon Ofnir to eventually becoming the new lord of Stormveil Castle. One specific detail about Nepheli that many fans have been drawn to is the likelihood that she is the daughter of Godfrey, the first Elden Lord. There are several pieces of evidence, such as Godfrey’s original name being Hoarah Loux, and Kenneth Haight naming her to be of a bloodline that could lead Stormveil Castle.
While the end of Nepheli’s questline simply reveals her lineage, the presented story doesn’t go much further in detailing the circumstances of her birth when following her. However, looking at the surrounding characters, such asGodrick the Graftedand Godfrey, this character’s birth and her status apart from the demigods and shardbearers could imply the reasons for their fate. Specifically, Nepheli being born from the Hoarah Loux persona and inheriting his name means that she is not the daughter of Godfrey’s wife, Queen Marika.
Godfrey Hounded From the Lands Between
In the deeper history ofElden Ring,Queen Marikahad two husbands before the Tarnished are awakened in order to fight for the chance to become Elden Lord. The first was Godfrey, who is the patriarch of the Golden Lineage, which includes members like Godwyn and Godrick the Grafted. However, at some point in history, Godfrey is cast out of Lyndell Capital and sent on the Long March out of the Lands Between, where he takes the tarnished across the fog that surrounds the area.
The closest players get to an explanation for Godfrey’s expulsion comes fromElden Ring’s Turtle Pope, Muriel Pastor of Vows. In his dialogue regarding Radagon’s relationship with and betrayal of Rennala, Muriel mentions that Godfrey was hounded from the Lands Between, but doesn’t give much reason for this. Most importantly about this turn of events is that Radagon abandoning Rennala to become Marika’s Elden Lord is often seen as the start of what eventually leads Lunar Princess Ranni down her own dark path that instigates the Shattering.
The Order of Events to The Shattering
All of the turmoil in the world during the actual gameplay ofElden Ringcan be traced down to an event in the world’s past known as The Shattering. This is the moment where Marika shatters the Elden Ring (the in-game source of magical power) while stricken with grief over the death of Godwyn in her efforts to separate herself andbetrayElden Ring’s Greater Will. However, several major events occurred long before Marika took her hammer to the Elden Ring.
To put it in a simple order, Godfrey was cast out of the Lands Between, then Radagon was brought back to Leyndell Capital to become the new Elden Lord. After this, Rennala fell apart from Radagon’s betrayal, which then turned Ranni against Marika and the Two Fingers, leading to the Night of the Black Knives and the death of Godwyn. All of the characters and their motivations can be clearly tracked across the story, aside from the reasoning forElden Ring’s Godfreyto have been cast out in the first place.
RELATED:Elden Ring Flowchart Shows Almost Every NPC Interaction in the Game
Where Nepheli Fits in the Cycle of Betrayal
Nepheli Loux’s name and title of warrior implies that she isn’t really the daughter of Godfrey, but instead of his persona as Hoarah Loux, chieftain of the badlands. This could then mean that Nepheli is the result of an affair while Marika was away in Lunaria as she tookthe form of Radagonand married Rennala. That would explain why Godfrey was cast out of Leyndell, because his infidelity had resulted in the birth of Nepheli.
So, it isn’t by any action taken by Nepheli, or anything she had asked for, but her presence in the world acts as a symbol of Godfrey’s betrayal of Marika. It could be argued that this happened because Marika was already being unfaithful while away and in the form of Radagon, fathering three children with Rennala. Of course, that all adds to the drama in the storytelling, likely being a result ofGeorge R.R. Martin’s excellent world-buildingthat influenced much of the backstory ofElden Ring’s lore. Either way, the exact split of Marika/Radagon is not clear either, and so the circumstances of this time are not clear either.
Mysteries Still Surrounding Nepheli Loux
Beyond the question of when Nepheli was born, and what she represents as the inciting incident that eventually led to the Shattering of the Elden Ring, there are still unanswered mysteries around this character. For one, the origins and history of Nepheli’s mother is still up in the air, as she appears to be missing from the game entirely. However, this could possibly be answered ifElden Ringgets DLCthat might explore other areas like the Badlands or the destination of Godfrey’s Long March.
Speculation is often the only place where fans of FromSoftware titles will find any types of conclusive answers to character backstories and lore mysteries. It’s one aspect that has helped keep games likeDark Soulsrelevant beyond the gameplay, with characters like Artorias still bringing in fan art. Hopefully, some ofElden Ring’s most popular characters like Blaiddor Nepheli Loux can find some extended depth and clearer explanations in DLC or even a sequel.
Elden Ringis available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
