Old Monk

Lore

The original Old Monk was likely nobility of Latria. He was exiled from Latria for unknown reasons and returned with horrible demons in tow. This led to the fall of Latria. The monk is now nothing more than a black phantom controlled by golden robes. From his tower he oversees the conduction of horrific experiments in molding the flesh of humans and beasts alike, creating the various patchwork monstrosities found in 3-2. It is possible that his experiments even preceded his being possessed, leading to his initial banishment.

His collar bears the description: "Head wrappings that were once the golden robe worn by the old master of Latria and eventually took control of the then withered old man. It is whispered that the robe now seeks to summon those who offer their aid, and carrying out its wishes grants them the use of these odd head wrappings. Could the golden garb be seeking out a new vessel to subjugate…?"

Theories

Maneater

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Maneater is assumed to be the outcome of one of the Old Monk's experiments, but the presence of a body with two souls on it after fighting them implies that either the Maneater was made from people by giving one two souls, and that he may have intended for there to be a third Maneater.

Banishment and return

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The original queen of Latria banished her husband because of something terrible he did, though it's never really stated what that is. Some time later, he returns with the yellow shawl thing, and uses its ability to control demons to overthrow the queen and take over Latria. He then uses the prison/tower as a laboratory for all of his crazy experiments on the people locked up there. He creates the Fools Idol in the form of the old queen to give the prisoners hope and encourage them to pray to her and ascend to a better life.

Thus, the Old Monk is most probably the husband that was banished, but it's interesting to see how the yellow cloth has weakened him over the time he's had it, and how it quickly abandons him for either an NPC or another player when you go to fight him. It's believed that this is the cloth attempting to control the most powerful person it can, meaning it has enough sentience to know it's current host is dying.

Sources

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Yellow Demon's Soul

The Soul of the Demon "Old Monk"
It radiates a strong power…
Grants the holder a large number of Souls when used. Alternatively, it can be made into spells, miracles, or weapons.

Insanity Catalyst

A catalyst wrapped in golden cloth.
Forged from the Soul of the Old Monk Demon.
Grants its wielder madness, drastically increasing the power of magic, but simultaneously halving one's maximum MP.
If you have no future to lose, then who could blame you for placing your faith in the golden robes?

Homing Soul Arrow

Spell from the Demon Old Monk's Soul.
Produces a Soul Arrow that tracks its target.
The old man was nothing more than a medium for the robe that drives men mad.
This spell reflects the old man's nature to yearn for power that was not his.

Soul Thirst

Spell from the Demon Old Monk's Soul
Slaying enemies yields more Souls when in effect.
This spell gives the user a thirst for Souls, taking as many Souls as possible from the target.
The caster's behavior mirrors that of the demons.

Banish

Miracle from the Demon Old Monk's Soul.
Banishes Black Phantoms near the caster to their own world.
This miracle is a countersign against the insane old man who summoned and enslaved Black Phantoms.

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PREV: Old King Allant

NEXT: Penetrator

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Comments

How can I help?

sulidos 23 Sep 2017 04:07

Love this site by far my favorite for Souls lore. Would love to help and give back some of my time. Read the google sheet for old monk aka golden elder and can transfer everything here if you guys want me to. Just tell me where and how to start!

Re: How can I help?

Souls Lore 09 Oct 2017 10:42

Thanks! You should see an "Edit" link at the bottom of the page. If not, message me and I'll check the permissions.
Definitely feel free to post and edit as much you want. :)