The Shadows of the Roundtable: The New yet Familiar NPCs

Hi!😊There are clearly way more comparisons than I put thought into thanks to comments. It's also becoming clear that even story beats like an NPC confronting you near the end are being mirrored! I think it's also possible to mirror multiple people. Miquella parallels and also opposites both Ranni and Marika in many ways. You guys have some awesome ideas. I feel dumb for not calling attention to Midra / Goldmask lol. There are becoming too many comments to keep up with so I might stop here. I'll pop in every now and again. I appreciate the support! ♥ I probably won't be making another ER video like this unless I feel like I can offer something unique. There's already so many great lore experts and literary analysts out there pining over it. I just post whatever I'm interested in at that moment. Stick around if you like indie games especially! Edit: REMEMBER TO CHECK OUT NEOJETTY!! THEIR DOCUMENTATION OF NPCS HAS SUCH NICE ANGLES

Something else I find kinda funny in hindsight when it comes to Gideon and Ansbach, is that Gideon refers to Mohg as a delusional maniac who wasn’t going to amount to much. Yet, Mohg’s most loyal servant and commander of his Pureblood Knights, ends up being the most level-headed and wise character in the entire fucking game (besides Turtle Pope of course, but they’re pretty close)

Leda could be an inversion of Roderika. Roderika loved her companions but lost all of them. Leda is surrounded by companions but feels nothing for them and would even betray and try to kill them without a second thought. Roderika was lost, left without purpose until you come along and gives her a new one. Leda always has her one unshakable purpose. Even when Miquella's spell on her breaks, her purpose remains the same, unchanged unshaken. But then again I'm just pulling stuff out of my ass.

Even the final lines of Gideon and Ansbach parallel each other. Gideon says a Tarnished can't be lord and man can't kill god. Meanwhile Ansbach encourages us to become "a lord not for gods, but for men."

Someone said Gold Mask is the opposite of Midra.

Leda is the shadow of Chorynn to me. They are both feverent zealots. The difference is that Leda never abandons her idol, while Chorynn can't accept his in the end.

i like how gideon pretends to be a good person working for the "holy" round table of the golden order but ultimately is horrible. while ansbach works for an "evil" lord and god but is a good man

Just an FYI Moore does have a happy ending. Simply answer I don't know and proceed. When you've dealt with Leda and co he should still be where he was alive and well pledging his friendship to you. Or if you've never interacted with him prior he'll simply focus on his relationship with his brood as that will help him to keep going. He doesn't actually have to die, and I think saying the I don't know answer is for the best as he actually thinks for himself here rather than rely on you to provide him an answer.

leda might be our shadow, as we follow the "grace" of the greater will; while she follows miquella

Leda is definitely the counterpart to us, the player. Murderhobo, Devotion to a demigod child of Marika, Having no hesitation to kill one's close allies to see the ultimate task through.

Fun theory video, wanted to comment on Moore and his story. Moore is not obsessed with the forager brood. Rather, he IS the forager brood. They are his kin in the literal sense, he is a forager brood inside of a suit of armor, which completely recontextualizes his character. He isn't unintelligent, rather he's exceptionally intelligent for his kind as he can communicate with the tarnished with words. And I've seen another comment mentioning how he doesn't have to die, which is true. If we answer with "I Don't Know" he won't partake in the arena fight and will remain alive, which seems incredibly fitting because many times we aren't comfortable with accepting that we don't know something, as if it makes us less capable, but this acceptance is what allows Moore to find peace and make his own decision. Sure he may be lonely, but he can continue living. Excellent work, peace and love!

Why not Thiollier and Rogier being parallels? The attitudes are opposites from each other: With Rogier being confident and Thiollier being timid. Thiollier essentially perpetually waiting to be able to see St. Trina until the Greatrune was broken. Rogier was actively looking for ways to help TWLID by seeking answers until he got affected by the corpse under Stormveil. Rogier slowly falling asleep during his questline up to his death. Thiollier essentially "waking up" after the duel with you and went off to help you out for the final couple of battles. Rogier helping you out at the beginning of your journey, Thiollier helping you out at the end of the DLC.

I feel like if I had to force a comparison between Leda and a Roundtable member, I think D would be a good fit. Apart from being two armored Greatsword wielders that are extremely devoted to their cause, D always struck me as a “NOBODY EXPECTS THE SPANISH INQUISITION” type of guy. Like, from the way he speaks of Those Who Live in Death, to the way Rogier expresses how pissed D would be with him were him to find out Rogier’s opinions on the undead, I always got the impression that he could very easily snap and kill either Fia or Rogier if he were to find out. He’s also EXTREMELY callous about exterminating the undead, almost as much as Leda is about those she thinks could betray Miquella. The thing being that well… he never does get to do any of that. Fia kills him before he ever gets to really do anything. And honestly, at least to me, it’s never really made clear whether he suspects either Fia or Rogier, hell from the way he speaks of Rogier after he’s hit with deathblight, you can see he pities him, as a long time comrade that can’t stomach seeing an old friend slowly rot to death. Leda on the other hand, makes her suspicions of others very clear, and very much gets to act on those suspicions even if she doesn’t always succeed (or succeed at all for that matter). However in a similar way to D, she never seems to express any anger or hatred for her own comrades, even as she’s actively hunting them down. In her mind, she’s just doing what she deems necessary in the name of her lord, and as such the language she uses reflects that. Now I don’t think it’s a perfect fit, but I do think it’s interesting how both groups have a feverishly devoted holy knight that’s willing to do some fucked up shit in the name of their holy cause. It’s just that Leda demonstrates how dangerous D could’ve been had he known better.

Ansbach might have been the only one fighting for Mohg’s dignity. And I respect him for that.

Also the All Hearing Brute is Gideon. Hence why his armor is covered in ears.

Leda might be a shadow of Millicent? Miquella/Melania. Leda is devoted to Miquella and Millicent rejects miquella('s needle). They both take long journeys to follow a demi god. They both kill their peers/sisters. The tarnished can betray both of them. They're both manipulated? Leda sacrifices others while Millicent sacrifices herself Leda is fine with Miquella contorting her into whatever image he sees fit while Millicent would rather die than become something she is not

The way I like to compare Ranni and Miquella is that Ranni wishes to protect the world from the folly of the gods while Miquella wants to protect the world from the folly of man

What if Leda is the contrast to Blaidd. Both follow their master without questions. Both given undying loyalty to their master. Both attacked us Tarnished at the end of their quest while Blaidd doing so due to the curse put upon him that driving him insane, despite that he still think about protecting Ranni. Leda trying to kill us because she is the loyalty follower to a fault, as it's imply in her item description that she may killed all her fellow Needle Knight Order because she suspect everyone of them to betray Miquella.

Diallos and Hornsent contrast each other, so well, you're right on that! Both in their own ways yearn to saciate their bloodlust either to prove oneself to their family or to avenge them both have nearly opposite endings and aswell are both being potentates

One Part of me just wants to grab Sir Gideon Ofnir by one of his many ears, drag him to the Land of Shadow, show him around, put him at a table with Ansbach, all just to in the end whisper in his ear: "Didn´t know about all this, now did ya, ey Mister Allknowing?"