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Lore
Creighton is a mysterious, cloaked figure who is obsessed with getting revenge on Mild Mannered Pate. Although harmless when confronted, his chilling voice and questionable motives leave him with an aura of suspicion.
Creighton is a knight from the Land of Mirrah, a land of knights surrounded by enemies and constantly embroiled in war. The only way up in Mirrah is to join the Official Order of Knights and prove yourself in battle. Those who distinguish themselves on the battlefield are admitted into the elite ranks of Mirrah’s Order, where they are given greatswords that demand advanced skill in a rare and unique sword technique. The great knights of Mirrah are willing to give their lives for their country. Creighton is curiously atypical, despite being dressed as a ‘knight’ of Mirrah. According to Cale the Cartographer, another native of Mirrah, Creighton notoriously committed a number of murders in Mirrah. He was imprisoned for his crimes but just prior to his scheduled execution he managed to escape.
After Creighton escaped from prison, he fled Mirrah and came to Drangleic, a land he had heard was full of danger. This suited him perfectly because it was unlikely any retribution would follow in his wake. Creighton evidently did not attain rank in Mirrah’s elite order of knights. He wears chainmail which resembles that of the knight order in Mirrah, but with some odd differences that catch the eye. We can assume that these odd differences have been added by Creighton in an attempt to deflect recognition. On his way to Drangleic, Creighton joined forces with Mild-Mannered Pate, a “treasure hunter” of sorts. Creighton and Pate appear to have traveled together for some time, perhaps amassing treasure. They established a small “bolt-hole” within Brightstone Cove Tseldora, a place only madmen would enter, and stored in a trapped chest within, the fabled Engraved Gauntlets, long searched for by Fiorenza the moneyed merchant of Volgen.
We can only speculate as to why they teamed up, but it was most probably because Creighton perceived a weakness in Pate that he could exploit due to Pate’s “slick talking”. But Creighton underestimated Pate. Pate tried to kill Creighton, most probably by setting a trap for him, but Creighton escaped. It can be assumed that they traveled on together in an uneasy comradery, Pate not willing to admit he had tried to trap Creighton, and Creighton plotting his revenge.
Creighton set a trap for Pate in Huntsman’s Copse. Perhaps he placed something to lure Pate in to one of the many undead lockaway cells dotting the landscape, but Pate was savvy to his plan. Pate tricked Creighton into falling for his own trap and left him to hollow or die. In the land of Mirrah there are many knights, and the only way to distinguish yourself is on the battlefield. This atmosphere may have severely affected Creighton’s ego, and prior to meeting Pate, he may have believed himself the best or cleverest, especially after escaping prison. But he was twice proven wrong by the same man. We can see in Creighton an intense and unwavering hatred of Pate after we free him. This man had bested him, and he would not let him get away with it. Perhaps this exact penchant for revenge had led Creighton to his imprisonment in Mirrah. It’s easy to imagine a situation where Creighton would believe himself the best, and yet be bested by his more honorable countrymen. We know that he is willing to resort to traps as well as direct confrontation, so whichever he utilised may have led to those infamous murders.
Eventually Creighton caught up to Pate in Brightstone Cove Tseldora, close to their “bolt-hole”. Creighton immediately attacked Pate and the two proceeded to fight to the death. They are rather evenly matched, much to Creighton’s surprise, and who would emerge the victor is never set in stone, but rather left in the Player’s hands. Should you side with Creighton and kill Pate, Creighton will be rapturously happy and thank you for your help. As a reward he will give you the key to his “bolt-hole down the way” and his armor. We can only assume that Creighton gave you his armor so that anyone seeing you in it may mistake you for him. After Pate is defeated, Creighton is never seen again, and this in a sense proves at least some good-will towards the Player.
Both Creighton and Pate have a strange obsession with the Ring of Thorns. Creighton claims that it belongs to Pate and Pate that it belongs to Creighton, so we know that one of them is lying. Pate is willing to give you the ring, and will do so if you have fought together, along with his armor and weaponry (likely a ploy to get you mistaken for him if you wear those things, while attempting to get you to trust him). If you kill Pate and wear the ring, Creighton will demand it from you, and give you near identical dialogue to his victory speech after defeating Pate in Brightstone Cove Tseldora if you hand the ring over to him. From this we can take it that Creighton truly desires the ring of thorns, and it is perhaps what provoked his original interest in travelling with Pate. Pate himself, while perhaps desirous of the ring, is willing to part with it either to gain your trust or to get Creighton to stop trying to kill him (and kill you instead). Who the original owner of the ring was appears to be Pate, as Creighton never claims that his ring was stolen and is fixated upon gaining it, whereas Pate is willing to use it in an effort to gain your trust, perhaps to lull you into a false sense of security around him, for trust can be a dangerous thing… Interestingly, the ring’s description seems to describe both Pate and Creighton though perhaps rings more true for Creighton’s predicament:
Ring of Thorns description:
Ring granted protection by Kremmel,
god of Struggle.
The ring's spikes drive into the wearer's
skin, so that each blow taken fuels spite
toward the perpetrator.
When damage is taken, the ring retaliates
and inflicts damage upon enemy.
It is also interesting to note the connection between Benhart of Jugo and Creighton of Mirrah. What combines these two otherwise seemingly opposite warriors, is that they both wear armor sporting the same crest. This crest almost certainly belongs to Benhart’s family, as we know this from his parma description:
Benhart’s Parma description:
Small shield of Benhart of Jugo.
This parma, emblazoned with a family crest of some sort,
has clearly been around for several generations,
but has no special value.
And we can see that the parma has the horns of a stag emblazoned upon it. So how is it that Creighton came to be wearing armor that so closely correlates to Benhart? Benhart is a travelling warrior who has picked up his armor on his travels. He is also perhaps a famous warrior, as everywhere he goes he leaves people talking about his ‘legendary’ blue sword. It therefore seems possible that Benhart made his way to Mirrah in his travels and perhaps fought there, in an attempt to tease out the true strength of his weapon. Both Mirrah and Jugo are east of Drangleic, though it is perhaps likely that Jugo is further east because of its desertous landscape. In Mirrah, knights who distinguish themselves on the battlefield become famous. It therefore is likely, if Benhart ever went there, that he became famous in Mirrah. Creighton, wanting to draw suspicion away from himself after escaping prison may have at one stage attempted to impersonate Benhart. Creighton’s armor has some “odd differences that catch the eye”. Does this line refer to the crest of Benhart? Both Creighton and Benhart give you the same reason for coming to Drangleic: to hone their blade. While this certainly rings true for Benhart, it sounds hollow coming from Creighton. While there are certainly reasons against this, such as Creighton never introducing himself as Benhart, and the fact that does it not seem wise to imitate someone so famous for their conspicuous blue sword without carrying said blue sword, there is certainly an interesting connection between the two characters that remains unexplained.
Theories
Character Symbolism
Dialogue
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