Lord is the generic term for a person of peerage, the highest order of which is Duke. So, based on his relation to King Vendrick, we can surmise that Aldia is the Duke in Brightstone Cove, the one found after killing Freja, the giant spider.
Manscorpion Tark thanks you for killing his "master" when you kill the Duke's Dear Freja. So, the Duke is the one who created all man-beasts through his experimentation, which we know Aldia was involved in. The Lions "just seemed to crawl out of the earth one day". The Lion Warrior Set description states, "The Lion Clan are an offshoot race that have no ties to humans, and would murder anyone with the curious notion of approaching them." The Lion clansmen seem to despise their own looks, as they hate being seen. Why would they despise their own looks? Because they're abominations, and they know it. Tark himself doesn't seem to be loving life right now. So in that area we've got: 2 manscorpions, lion-men, a bird-lady, a curious dragonbone-infused basilisk, and more. The whole area seems to be Aldia's zoo, with the fog possibly trapping them within the place, not just keeping people out.
So Tark effectively tells us that the Duke created them. But, that alone does not really prove Aldia is the Duke But, there is another type of man-beast: the Mastodons. The Mastodon Halberd's description states, "Halberd of the Primal Knights that defend Drangleic castle. The brutish and might Primal Knights wield this halberd like a feather-light twig, but to the ordinary warrior it is a chore to even hold up, owing to its great weight. Terrible experiments were said to have taken place in a hidden manor in Drangleic. The mastermind presiding over the deeds was thought to be Lord Aldia." The Duke created the man-beasts. But, no one ever said the Duke wasn't Aldia. They both created man-beasts because they're the same person, hence all the overlapping information.
So, where does Aldia fit into the cycle of reincarnation and Eastern mythology? While Gwyn is supposedly the Old Iron King and not Vendrick, the latter is still the "Gwyn" of this world from a literary perspective, and From Software is known for this sort of thing. With that, we can see that Gwyn liked Seath, his right-hand man and most trusted confidant, and also the smartest being with an expressed interest in sorcery and unlocking the secrets sorcery held. Seath wanted immortality because he lacked them scale of immortality of his race. It is mentioned that Vendrick and Aldia, moreso, were working to unlock immortality. Aldia is also the right-hand man of Vendrick, if we discount his zealot guard, Velstadt, who is really only the right-hand man by name and rank. Aldia, on the other hand, is both the older brother and the man Vendrick was working with to "solve" the curse of the undead. Aldia is also the foremost authority on sorcery in the land, it would seem, thanks to his research.
So, from the "cycle" perspective, we can suppose that Aldia is Seath incarnate. Aldia disappeared. No one knows where he went or what he became. Some say he was destroyed by the Ancient Dragon he created, or became the dragon, but he was more likely drawn to Tseldora, with its giant crystals. The Duke was drawn in by his love of spiders, but perhaps it was moreso his love of one spider, and the thing that spider itself loved: crystals. It's unclear who or what the spider was, but it is possible that Freja is merely the other half of Seath's Soul, or something similar, hence Aldia's need to go there. So, Aldia followed some need to live in Tseldora, post-spider-invasion. What was it? Just outside his study, in the cave is the remains of an ancient dragon.
Finally, the man-beast of Vengarl's body is found in a room adjacent to the Duke's study. Vengarl's head, however, is found in the Shaded Woods, home to many other man-beasts. Vengarl "was like a mad beast on the battlefield."
Why did Aldia abandon his work in his keep? Maybe he realized he was going about it all wrong and sought out the primordial crystals in Tseldora. The Duke and/or Freja created man-beast hybrids. Aldia also is said to have created similar beasts. This is possible because they are one-and-the-same. Among other things, the presence of an ancient dragon just outside the Duke's quarters and very strong ties to Seath the Scaleless from Dark Souls help to support this theory.
So, Aldia was working on creating the Emerald Herald, but failed. Those "enhanced undead" lumbering behemoths in the Keep are not scorpion-things. Their tail is not a scorpion's tail. Look at the tail of the drakes in Dragon Aerie, and look at their horns. and look at this description: "This deformed, unnatural creature must surely be the product of some serious misdeeds. Who created this monstrosity, and is it what they intended to make? It almost seems to be half-dragon, but, whatever it is, it has a mind of a Hollow." These things are failed attempts at creating either dragons or creating the Herald, who was thought to be the key to solving the curse of the Undead. She was a failure, too. Maybe Aldia, disapointed, took off at that point, or maybe something else made him leave…
Then there is the Giant soul. Aldia was not a giant, nor did he need to be some towering warrior figure like Vendrick. We find a Giant Soul in the Ancient Dragon, making a good case for the idea that Aldia made this dragon with a Giant Soul. There it is, though. The Ancient Dragon gave Aldia what he wanted: the Ashen Mist Heart. It's easy to forget that Aldia himself did not want to cure the curse; that was Vendrick. Aldia tapered off on his own path, seeking immortality. Aldia claimed the Ashen Mist Heart and then went to Tseldora, to that petrified actual dragon corpse. Maybe he went hollow before he could get his soul. Or maybe he and Freja weren't so close after all, and she was keeping him from obtaining it. Or perhaps he was too in love with her to slay her. It seems that he never completed this task, whatever the reasons.
Some believe that the "master" Tark mentions is more specifically Freja, not the Duke. From this, combined with the fact that Freja has two heads, and the Duke "became something far from human," we can assume the Duke is Aldia, and that Aldia, in the same manner as Vendrick, separated himself from his soul but melded it with Freja. Thus, the Duke you kill is Aldia's husk, similar to Vendrick's husk.
sigma77x1 year ago#16
@TC. I agree with you and think you're right when you say Aldia sought the first flame but I don't think he wanted to link it. I also think there is more to it than that and it involves his magnificent failure of a creation, the emerald herald.
I actually found his dialogue quite revealing, in regards to, shedding light on his actions and mindset.
Once, the Lord of Light banished Dark,
and all that stemmed from humanity.
And men assumed a fleeting form.
These are the roots of our world.
Men are props on the stage of life,
and no matter how tender, how exquisite…
A lie will remain a lie.
Young Hollow, knowing this,
do you still desire peace?
So here he basically tells us once gwyn hurled himself into the flame, it was only a matter of time before men would revert back to their hollow state(Damn you Gwyn *shakes fist*). After telling us the raw truth, he ask if we still desire peace. Peace=Linking the flame/ Taking the throne. He outright says this,by dark souls standards, the next time you meet him. Peace grants men the illusion of life by falsehoods, they yearn for love,unaware of its grand illusion Vendrick also says similar things.
Aldia goes on to say
Until, the curse touches their flesh(Humans, in general).We are bound by this yoke.
All men trust fully the illusion of life.
But is this so wrong?
A construction, a facade, and yet…
A world full of warmth and resplendence.
Young Hollow, are you intent on shattering the yoke,
spoiling this wonderful falsehood?
Okay he's just emphasizing what he said previously but here comes the big reveal. *drumroll*
I sought to shed the yoke of fate, but failed.
Now, I only await an answer.
I lost everything, but remained here, patiently.
The throne will certainly receive you.
When he says the part about losing everything and remaining here, patiently, it's from within the throne room. When he says the throne will receive you, I believe he's implying that the throne didnt receive him and that's how he lost everything(become grossly disfigured, bound to the throne room and bofires). If he did try to become the true monarch, it makes sense that the throne would reject him. He may be the King's brother but he's not Vendrick, he didn't conquer the four old ones.
Now Aldia isn't stupid, he knows this and I believe, in order to circumvent this obstacle, he created the Emerald Herald. The Emerald Herald's main ability is being able to turn everyday souls into power, after all. Her dialogue, when you enter the shrine of winter, without gaining the souls of the old ones, also alludes to this.
Your soul is still frail and pallid…
If you proceed regardless, your fate will be more terrible than mere life or death(You'll end up looking like Aldia).But I will not stop you, if that is your heart's desire.
Emerald herald - By ones who would cozen fate(Aldia and his merry men) herself… They are the ones who created me.
But they failed.
I did not come out as intended.
Fate would not be bested, and men were cursed once again.
Aldia overestimated both himself and Shanalotte and payed the price. I Always felt the Emerald herald came across as someone operating from guilt. She's on a mission to right that mistake. Aldia has gotten passed it but simply wants to see what happens next, as any true scholar would.
You guys agree with this?
I really like this, it definitely got me thinking! Ok so Aldia created the Emerald Herald to make his soul strong enough so that the Throne of Want would accept him? And from there he hoped to break the cycle of the curse?
Do you think he tried to burn himself on the fire like Gwyn did, but somehow believed the outcome would be different? I really like the idea that Aldia ended up the way he did because he tried to burn himself, but he wasn't strong enough or something. Which would explain why he is linked to the bonfires (because he tried to link them) and looks all… melted. But from what we know of Aldia, it seems like he wouldn't try to burn himself like Gwyn did because he is so familiar with the cycle, though I guess he would if he believed the outcome might be different, and had exhausted all other methods of research.
The more I type the more I'm becoming convinced that that's what happened :D..
I'm sorry to say I cannot find any information in the game about Aldia being the Duke of Tseldora.
The Duke is located past the Dukes Dear Freyja, hostile, and the player can slay him to receive good loot. (Although we are never told if it is actually the Duke, it seems very likely)
Tark speaks of his 'Master' but this could also be Seath the Scaleless as his soul is found upon slaying The Dukes Dear Freyja on NG+
Also the fascination of spiders we do not know if Aldia had, since we do not have anything linking to that claim.
It is also pretty certain that he is NOT the Ancient Dragon, he created it through his research, Petrified dragon bones and a Giant Lords soul (Both items received when killing the Ancient Dragon)