>>65 I agree with all your points. I think the Pus of Man is the concentration of the Abyss in humanity. Some individuals have more of that concentration than others (or maybe just less humanity to offset the Abyss taking over?), and if it's not properly "taken care of", it will burst out of them once they're hollow enough. It seems like Lothric is the place to be for these fellows, more specifically the Grand Archives of the Castle. I think the scholars there studied this and where able to transfigure Pus of Man into something greater. They may have worked with a Primordial Serpent to do this, as there are statues of them in the Archives area. My theory is that the Butterflies are the "imperfect," or unfinished transformations, while the Angles are the more "prefect" transformations. >Pilgrims do this ritually, just now Lothric is fugged. >Lothric inhabitants have gotten so hollow, they start transforming. >Depending on soul level they're either transformed into the Pus of Man creatures with the snakes on their back (symbol of imperfect dragon), or are transformed into a tree (low soul level). >Some creatures like the Corvian Storytellers are "imperfect" souls who start transforming, but because of their tainted souls turn into what you see in game. >The Winged Knights are on their way to a "perfect" transformation.

>>65 I was disappointed that there wasn't a proper pus of man boss. It felt like it was some kind of corruption that was fucking with the hollows and that you'd face the source somewhere. as you go through the game you see more and more of them and it felt like foreshadowing, especially in the kings garden but then you fight ocelot.

>>72 >I was disappointed that there wasn't a proper pus of man boss

>>72 >and that you'd face the source somewhere. ehh that's kind of a trope in vidya, but maybe that just didn't fit with the lore. The Pus is probably some abstract commentary on humanities corruptness or some shit. Maybe you were the source all along...

>>72 >>75 When the very first still images of ds3 came out, Gundyr was located where you fight Ocelot, in the kings garden. I wonder who the first boss was in that version of the game.

>>134 I think Gundyr was always intended to be the first boss. I'm fairly certain at some point in development Cemetery of Ash was intended to connect directly to Lothric Castle and that's how you would get to the High Wall. Can't say for sure but I think what we got on release was definitely not the original design since you just warp to the High Wall and it's incredibly anti-climactic

>>136 Let's say in that version of the game you wake up starting at the graves. >Gundyr's not at his area, but in kings garden. >You can make your way to the gundyr fight but, its just the massive grave, and the door doesn't open from this side. >You find a lever. >You backtrack and use the lever to operate an elevator. >Bringing you to king's garden, where you fight Gudyr the consumed king. >You fight through the area, there's much less stronger enemies than in released game. >You work backwards through High Wall, and eventually at the first bonfire. >At the top of the stairs you open the door, and everybody does the dinosaur.

>>65 >>67 Honestly these are the things I have no answers for. I don't recall if there's any real text hint as to why undead are transforming the way they are. Nothing on why the serpents have statues in the Lothric castle areas either. Though at least with that you can just assume they're revered because Frampt worked to assure the cycle of kindling continued.

>>152 maybe the true nature of humanity (the abyss) that's worshipped, Lothric is the capital of this religion.

>>170 Unlikely because Prince Lothric was meant to link the fire.

>>152 >you can just assume they're revered because Frampt worked to assure the cycle of kindling continued. Why would you assume that?

>>175 Because, again, the Lothric royal family made Prince Lothric to one day link the fire but he refused.

>>181 Forget I said anything, I misread what you were trying to say

>>181 I always figured Kaathe got to him and turned him from his duty.

>>188 There's spell you can find in the library area that says it was his teacher that convinced Prince Lothric not to link the fire. Could have been a member of the same church in Londor that follows Kaathe.

>>188 >>190 My thinking is that the serpents have been playing 4D chess behind the scenes right from the start. Kaathe and Frampt have always had the same goals but present themselves differently to trick hollows into doing their bidding.

>>195 I mean that can be implied by the Dark Lord ending of Dark Souls 1 with all the serpents bowing to you. You don't know Frampt isn't among them. Either way the cycle continues.

>>196 Yep. But I think their motives have changed by the time of Lothric. The serpents would have known that the first flame is dying and that the cycles were getting weaker and weaker. Kaathe's Sable Church isn't trying to crown a Dark Lord, they are trying to find a "Lord of Hollows" to contain the first flame.

>>198 True. Who knows if the serpents are even alive anymore. Kaathe, at least, is dead based on Yuria's Japanese dialogue if she's killed. There's no telling if that was long ago or recently though.