Executioner Smough

Lore

Smough is the royal executioner of Anor Londo.
He relished his title as executioner so much so that he ground the bones of his victims into his feed.

Smough longs to be ranked with the Four Knights, but his cruelty forever denied the position.

It is possible Ornstein gave him a chance to prove himself, serving alongside him as guardians of Gwynevere, Princess of Sulinght though whether this actually happened is unknown, given he and Ornstein might've been illusions crafted by Gwyndolin

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Design Works Interview

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Waragai: I really like Ornstein and Smough.

Miyazaki: Those were both Mr. Nakamura's designs. I personally really like Smough's armour.

Nakamura: He was the first thing I designed.

Miyazaki: Smough came form the initial concept stages, while Ornstein was introduced much later. I remember the Channeller's design was put forward around the same time as Smough's and we all took to referring to them as the four knights; Knights C and D, if I remember correctly. I hoped that by doing this, it would ensure that Knights A and B were implemented.

In the end they never were, the four knights disappeared and the design work for knights A and B was transferred to other characters like Ornstein and Artorias. The Channeller was given a different role, so that left Smough. I'm extremely fond of the design so I wanted to do something special, turn him from one of four knights into something almost… heretical.

I'm sure made the designers and programmers really angry because I forced them to make his armour equippable.

Otsuka: You really were fond of him, weren't you?

Miyazaki: He offers a substantial challenge for the player, too, doesn't he?

Otsuka: I thought the strongest boss in the game was probably the Capra Demon.

Waragai: For me it's undoubtedly the fight with Ornstein.

Miyazaki: There's something unnatural about Smough's armour, it doesn't look like something that would have been created by a normal, sane person, I think that's what I like about it. There was a rumour that we were hunting players who bought the game early. I wasn't us, but whoever it was, they were wearing Smough's armour and I remember thinking how fitting it was.

Theories

Illusions

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Some believe that Ornstein and Smough did not know of Gwyndolin's deception and that the princess Gwynevere in Anor Londo was an illusion.
Alternatively, it is possible that either or both Ornstein and/or Smough were illusions created by Gwyndolin.
Since there is no way to break the illusion of Anor Londo before the fight happens, it's impossible to tell whether or not either of them were illusions.

Smough envies Ornstein

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If you kill Smough first, Ornstein touches his corpse, in a contemplative manner, and gains his power. If you kill Ornstein first, however, Ornstein's fingers curl slightly implying he is still alive, before Smough abruptly crushes Ornstein with his hammer to gain his power. This could suggest that Smough harbors little to no value on his comradery with Ornstein, whereas Ornstein does to him. It could imply that Smough is resentful of his rejection of joining the Knights of Gwyn and that crushing the captain of the four knights brought great satisfaction to him.

Sources

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Soul of Smough
Soul of Smough the Executioner, who guards the cathedral in the forsaken city of Anor Londo.
Use the soul of this eerily gleeful executioner to acquire a huge amount of souls, or to create a unique weapon.

Smough's Hammer
Great hammer from the soul of executioner Smough, who guards the cathedral in the forsaken city of Anor Londo.
Smough loved his work, and ground the bones of his victims into his own feed, ruining his hopes of being ranked with the Four Knights.

Smough's [Armor]
[Armor] of Smough, the Executioner, protector of the cathedral at the forsaken city of Anor Londo.
It offers extremely high defense and can be worn by humans, but not without great difficulty.

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PREV: Dragonslayer Ornstein

NEXT: Four Kings

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