Sen's Fortress

Lore

Behind the Undead Parish, surrounded by forest and wildlife, the Sen's Fortress was constructed, to serve as a test for those who wish to enter the City of the Gods, Anor Londo.

Filled not only with swinging blades, pressure plates, traps and deadly boulders, Serpent Men and Prowling Demons lurk behind every corner.

After ringing the Bells of Awakening, one of the enslaved Giants open the gates. Two other Giants can be found on the rooftops; one of them loads boulders into a machine that sends them rolling throughout the fortress, while another one throws explosives at whoever trespasses.

In order to finally reach Anor Londo, a tired warrior will need to fight the last guardian of the Fortress, the gatekeeper Iron Golem, that has repelled and slayed countless heroes and was created by the Gods of Anor Londo by fusing the power of a soul with the bones of the dragons, forming a core for this monstrosity made of steel.

Once the Iron Golem is defeated, the gate to Anor Londo will be found blocked, but three Bat Wing demons transport whoever gets this far.

Heroes and warriors from different eras have tried to reach Anor Londo. While some have succeeded, like the knight of Berenike Knight called Black Iron Tarkus or the Sunlight adherent Solaire of Astora, many others have failed, such as a considerable amount of Berenike knights, Balder knights, Balder's King, Knight King Rendal; legendary sorcerers such as Big Hat Logan, who ended trapped in a cage, or royalty knights gone hollow such as Prince Ricard. Others have lost hope, like the Crestfallen Merchant or Siegmeyer of Catarina.

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Design Works Interview

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Miyazaki: After ringing the bells and overcoming the traps of Sen's Fortress I really wanted to player to feel "Yes! I've made it!"

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Miyazaki: Sen's Fortress and Anor Londo were both overseen by Mr. Waragai. As for me, I had a definite visual image right from the beginning and a concept behind the area i.e. the trial to reach Anor Londo, full of deadly traps. The designers had real trouble with this area, I seem to remember. We spent a long time on the rough map.

Waragai: The image of a trap road was fairly straightforward. The pendulums, rolling boulders and other major traps were all there from the start. In fact, we almost tried hard to make them obvious and create things that screamed "trap!".

Miyazaki: It's almost comical how obvious they are, but I think things like that are all part of Dark Souls' appeal. Personally I love the stone launcher, the way it endlessly fires the boulders, and the strange complex contraption build to achieve this simple action. It's things like this really add a sense of intrigue to the Dark Souls world. In terms of achieving the original design aims, I think the area works really well.

Satake: I really like the way the stairs are worn away where the boulders roll down.

Waragai: I think that was Miyazaki's idea.

Miyazaki: Was it?

Waragai: Yes, the idea was that the worn steps might give players a warning as to the dangers ahead.

Miyazaki: I see, although I doubt people would be able to pick up that on that small detail, especially on their first time through. Perhaps the second time, it will serve to remind them.

Waragai: Diligent people will notice I think, by that point you've already seen several large boulders.

Miyazaki: I'm glad we were able to create a design that really incorporated all of our ideas.

Theories

Sen's Identity

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The name of this fortress has always been a topic for discussion. The most popular theories are the following:

Sen's Fortress is a mistraslation: it means "House of Thousand Traps"
This theory claims the japanese name to have been badly translated, and that "Sen" means "thousand" in Japanese, although the in the Japanese version, the fortress bears the "センの古城" name, which translates to "Sen's Old Castle", in which, "Sen" is definitely a name.

Pik Sen Lim
Pik-Sen Lim is a Malaysian-Chinese-British actress who has appeared on British television on countless occasions, and she's the voice of the narrator of the cinematic intros in Dark Souls 1 and Dark Souls 3. From this fact, it has been theorised that Miyazaki wanted to honour her by giving the fortress her name, although knowing Miyazaki and his design approach, this is highly unlikely.

Senhime, Lady Sen
Senhime, sister of the historically famous Oda Nobunaga, whose dramatic life produced many legends. Some legends talk about her tenderness, some others tell her lecherousness. Nothing really points to this being the inspiration behind the fortress' name and the kanji used in the Japanese name "千姫" translate to "Thousand" and "Princess".

Sen is the Name of Gwyn's Firstborn

In this theory, Sen's Fortress is supposed to be used as a royal armoury or perhaps training ground due to the stacks of unused Silver Knight statues and the several challenges. It is known that Gwyn's Firstborn was a God of war. This could imply that Gwyn's Firstborn was originally the leader of Gwyn's knights before Ornstein took over, and presumably would have control of the royal armoury in that position.

It is known from Andre's dialogue that the fortress was built by the Gods:

Sen's Fortress is an old proving grounds built by the ancients Gods.
It is the only route leading to the great Anor Londo.

Evidently, Sen could have been an individual from the Age of the Fire, possibly either the builder or owner of the fortress. Otherwise, the name Sen is never mentioned specifically outside of references to Sen's Fortress itself. This is rather conspicuous, as many Gods and members of royalty are referenced through item descriptions who have far less influence on the world and plot of Dark Souls - Flame God Flann, Old Man McLoyf, Allfather Lloyd, etc. Despite the lack of references to Sen as an individual, however, the name of Sen's Fortress persists.

Andre of Astora, along with Frampt, and the Crestfallen Merchant all know the name of the fortress.

It is probable that the fortress did not only exist for a very long time, like he stated in his dialogue, but that it was also significant enough for its name to be remembered. It is known that Gwyn's Firstborn's name was removed from the annals of history, but it is possible that it did not happen long ago for people to forget the name of the fortress.

With all of this circumstantial evidence at hand, it seems possible to theorise that Gwyn's Firstborn could be initially called Sen.

… But, finally, in the end, the only things that have been partially confirmed is that Sen's Fortress is a fortress, and that "Sen" is (apparently) the name of an unknown person.

Training Ground

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Inside the fortress, countless Silver Knight statues can be found, some broken and piled up.

Some point Sen's Fortress to actually be a training ground instead of a death trap, where the swinging blades, boulders, and statues would be the challenge for new knights. The statues seem customisable regarding arm positions, and they also look like they could endure beheading, or losing limbs.

Perhaps the existence of Silver Knight armoured statues here hints at the fortress being a training area for the Knights themselves, or those wishing to join their ranks.

This theory would collide with other theories as Sen's Fortress seems to be the only way to Anor Londo, and there's no proof of it as a training ground.

Another theory points it to be an actual challenge for those who can surpass it. The continuous traps and dangers, combined with the elevator system, could actually represent that, indeed, Sen's Fortress only serves the purpose of testing heroes; perhaps those who survive Sen's Fortress would be worthy of entering Anor Londo.

Sources

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Andre of Astora Dialogue

Sen's Fortress is an old proving grounds built by the ancients gods.
It is the only route leading to the great Anor Londo.
Of course, most fools can't even find their way into that fortified deathtrap.

Crestfallen Merchant Dialogue

Let me give you a nibble of advice.
Don't even consider visiting Anor Londo. Not in your state.
For a century, they have tried, and failed.
The Knight King Rendal, Black Iron Tarkus, and even Logan himself.

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Cage Key
Key to the hanging cage in Sen's Fortress.
If a hapless adventurer becomes fatigued during an imprudent attempt to overcome the fortress, the serpent men will not kill him, but lock him up in a lonely cage. Eventually, unless they have forgotten, they drag the victim off to who-knows-where.

Core of an Iron Golem
Soul serving as the core of the Iron Golem, guardian of Sen's Fortress, and slayer of countless heroes seeking Anor Londo.
Originally a bone of an everlasting dragon.

Golem Axe
An Axe born from the soul of the Iron Golem, guardian of Sen's Fortress who repelled countless heroes who sought Anor Londo.

Dragon Bone Fist
The Gods fused the power of the soul with the great bones of the dragons, forming an appropriate core for the giant golem.

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PREV: Sanctuary Garden

NEXT: The Catacombs

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