Elden Ring - I may have some answers

The chair-crypts and their giant skeleton occupants are a big question mark for the most part, but there may be something that actually provides a little leverage to try and interpret what's going on with them.

Song used: Dark Reality - King's Field IV OST

[ZullietheWitch]

With all the skeletons, I think this safely counts as my Halloween video.
While there unfortunately doesn't seem to be a smoking gun answering all the questions about these enigmatic giants, it does feel like a significant step forward to have something outside the Eternal Cities that seems reasonably connected to them. If they've gone from a completely inscrutable mystery to a mostly inscrutable mystery, I think it's a win.

[Xhawk]

Personally I was just worried one would get up and start attacking

[lixthewitch]

I would like to personally thank Zullie for terrifying me with the HUGE skeleton peeking through Ranni's tower window.

[three]

I'm pretty sure the "Lord of Night" is ment to refer to the player character if you get the Ranni ending. In all it's references throughout the game, it's always presented as someone the nox are looking to find, not someone who already exists. The Lord of Night is the one who will usher in the new age of stars, which is exactly what you do in Ranni's ending.

[midnightlunch]

If all of these really are related (Ranni, the Night King, the Nox, and Tibia Mariners), I'd love to see a DLC that really explores all these connections. The idea of a kingdom that defies the status quo that's ultimately banished deep underground seems to be a favorite of From Software's.

[thelaughingrouge]

These giant dead lords are one of the most fascinating things in the game for me.

[several]

you know it's a good creepy one when this music plays

[cameronraymond]

Something else interesting to note with them is the Ainsel River boss arena itself, which is likely the first place you encounter one of these skeletons. Surrounding the giant skeleton itself is a bunch of petrified bodies all worshiping it. These bodies all have two distinct features: strangely elongated bodies and limbs, and a complete lack of legs. This might imply a potential connection to the first generation Albanaurics, which makes sense given the Albanauric's own ties to the eternal cities.

A little less likely, but it might also imply a connection between Phillia in particular and these skeletons. I say less likely because the giant skeletons themselves do not appear to be first generation Albanauric, lacking the elongated limbs associated with them. Still it's heavily implied that they are also artificial, and it's quite possible that they were viewed by the Albanaurics as potential saviors to their plight, a sort of proto-Phillia.

There's another creature type they could be though. The claymen were the priest caste of an ancient dynasty. While they don't have missing legs, they do have similar elongated limbs and there's a possibility that the petrified statues are claymen, not Albanaurics. They're also very populous within the Ainsel river itself. With that said, I lean towards them resembling Albanaurics more.

[itol]

I interpreted "Night King" as just another way of saying their Elden Lord, since it comes directly after the mention of the Age of Stars. Ranni is decidedly female, and is the one to initiate the Age of Stars. Considering that the Elden Lord always seems to be second in power to whatever Empyrean is in charge, it made sense to me that it would be mentioned second. There's also that tidbit that they've tried making a Lord, to no avail, so it tracks that Ranni would tell them that they'd get one when she took the mantle.

[Jonhainey]

Lol at the giant tibia mariner skeleton glaring at Ranni through her tower's window. Wonderful shot.

[ASquared]

What makes Elden Ring particularly interesting to me is how interconnected everything in the world is. Ranni & Fia’s quest are connected intrinsically, with progress in one being required to complete the other. But Ranni and Fia also tie back to Maliketh and the beast quests, which ties into the end of the game. Killing Radahn is also a part of Alexander’s quest, which ties into killing the Fire Giant and Farum Azula. Ranni’s quest is also tied to the Academy, where you will also find part of Yura’s quest. Yura’s quest ties into Mohg and getting the tear needed to resist one of his attacks, as well as the hunting of his disciples. This also ties in with Malenia and her quest, which ties in with Mellicent’s quest of reaching the Haligtree. And of course Ranni’s quest ties into the Lake of Rot, another connection to Malenia and the Scarlet Rot. The whole Bloody Finger quest also ties in with invasions, which is connected to Recusants and the Volcano Manor quest, tying in Rykard. Some of these connections are… looser than others, but I’m sure there are stronger connections between the quests present here. I also forgot, Mohg is also connected to the Frenzied Flame under Leyndell, which is also connected to Deeproot Depths, which is also connected to Siofra River underground and Norton.

Everything in Elden Ring feels like it should be connected, and like dog pope said, everything should be able to be conjoined.

[Kid_Naps]

I mean, Godwyn being Night King himself makes sense, his size is equal to that of the throned skeletons. Also his connections to Ranni, Nox and Tibia Mariner are obvious. The story is so enticing, I really can't wait to see where the DLC will take us. I honestly don't care if it's related to Miquella or Rykard or whatever, it's going to be a blast one way or another, as long as it expands the universe. Knowing Miyazaki, he either overdeliver, or underdeliver. Hope it's not the latter.

[tarille]

Those giant skeletons are super weird.

I remember seeing them in the loading screens and was expecting a normal sized skeleton in a normal sized throne.

Imagine my surprise when I encountered this 50ft tall skeleton instead...

[Gakulon]

The connections drawn in this video are absolutely fascinating and pretty damn compelling. I remember originally thinking they were bosses themselves; they turned out to be a lot more mysterious than I had anticipated

[mihirlavande]

The skeletons on chairs also could be a reference to Charon, the ferryman of the river Styx who guides souls to the underworld, the Siofra and Ainsel rivers being under the world and originating from the Nameless Eternal City which houses the corpse of Godwin, who only died in soul and not body.

[fingerdancer]

Gotta say, I'm always impressed at the lengths you go to find answers or theorize these kinds of things, and also at the fact that you still find new things to talk about with the game no longer being fresh on everyone's minds. Another banger.

[realkingofantarctica]

The surprise of expecting the giant, lifeless husk to get up and start attacking you, but instead getting something entirely different yet equally terrifying is something I always like with videogame bosses. You expect something to be a Monk Maz Koshia, but it ends up being a Duke's Dear Freja.

[pj]

Never change your choice of music for these Zullie, it just takes you elsewhere I love it

[Legion]

Finding that connection between the throne skeletons, the Tibia Mariners and the large skeletons comparable in size to the ones on the thrones is a fantastic find. It adds so much more context to the Mariners. Perhaps an old spirit of those giant, long dead lords, able to summon the older, larger manifestations of themselves as an attack.

[LoudWaffle]

The Night King in GRRM's books is very different from the antagonist in the show; he's a historical human figure, an old Night's Watch Captain who seems to have taken an Other (white walker) as his bride and possibly made sacrifices to them.
As for the giant skeletons, I have taken to thinking of them as an attempt at creating an artificial god, which the Nox were known to be trying to do (with the mimic tears).