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You'll find a great creature far to the east.
A colossal thing, with the strength to match its size.
Or something playing the part at least.
Open the door, and venture inside, and you'll soon smell even lovelier. He he he...
Bearer of the curse...
Long have I awaited one such as you, one who might shatter the shackles of fate.
One who can set me free.
It was my own manifestation that led you here.
The ancient dragon has watched over the world for aeons past.
Listen to what the dragon says.
With the throne so close at hand, surely the dragon will speak to you.
Brave Undead...
Seek the forest. Where those wretched Giants slumber.
Use the symbol of the dragon to delve into their thoughts.
Drangleic is no longer.
But to know if you are the true king, we will require the throne.
For this is your true purpose...
You... Oh... No, forgive me...
I know you... My thoughts... are very... scattered...
What is this curse?
The question rings in my mind, but I haven't the focus to answer it.
Loss frightens me no end.
Loss of memory, loss of self.
I don't want to die, I want to exist.
Beyond the bonfire lies the Forest of the Giants,
where a great battle precipitated the kingdom's downfall.
Perhaps something there will ease your journey...
Trespassing into their dreams?
Of the ones who crossed the sea, lavishing ruin upon the land?
How they savour their visions of glorious deeds in battle. He he he...
Whoever you are, this is no battle to involve yourself in.
I am Drummond, and the Lord has placed this fort in my hands.
My father, and his father, both fought the Giants on this very land.
Soon, the Giants will descend upon this fort.
It is revenge for the Kingdom's misguided barbarism.
Long ago, the King crossed the seas, pillaged the land of Giants,
and brought back... a prize.
The venerable Lord built this kingdom to bring prosperity to His subjects.
What has transformed him so, I can not imagine.
The Giants... A singular rage burns within their hearts.
They cannot find it within themselves... To forgive the misdeeds of our lord.
That towering monster among them... That is most certainly their King.
He will be a thing to topple, even if I should die trying.
Sometimes, I feel obsessed... with this insignificant thing called "self".
If I were told that by killing you, I would be freed of this curse...
Then I would draw my sword without hesitation.
Am I wrong to feel so?
Surely you'd do the same, in my shoes?
Maybe we're all cursed, from the moment we're born...
Who are you?
Seeker of Fire, coveter of the throne, I am Vendrick, ruler of Drangleic.
Do you intend to link the fire? Then you must first take the throne.
Flame, oh, flame. Mmm...
I too sought fire once. With fire, they say, a true king can harness the curse.
A lie... but I knew no better.
You know not the depth of dark within you.
It grows deeper still, the more flame you covet.
I subdue the giants and claim their strenght, so that I might step closer to fire.
As flame rises, so does it fade...
I was unaware of my own blindness.
One of the father of the abyss's spawn... That confounded quinteseence of humanity...
The abyss once had form, but then, dissipated.
And yet, traces of its existence endured.
Each fragment, thirsting for power, spread dark with no relent.
My dear Shandra was once such fragment.
A feeble, tiny thing that thirsted for power more than any other,
driven by insatiable *** for a worthy vessel.
Fire came to be, and with it, disparity.
Heat and cold, life and death, light and dark.
Dark was seen as a curse...
Shadow is not cast, but born of fire. And the brighter the flame, the deeper the shadow.
Inherit fire, and harness the dark: such is the calling of a true leader.
Drangleic will fall, the fire will fade, and the souls of old will reemerge.
With dark, unshackled, a curse will be upon us, and men will take their true shape.
Dark will again be ours, and in our true shape,
men will be free from death, left to wander eternally.
We will cast aside the prop of life, only to face greater hardship...
Such is the way of things.
Only, is this our only choice?
Seeker of Fire, coveter of the throne...
Are you another such fool? Or something more?
Seek adversity, the rest will follow.
Bearer of the curse...
My name is Shanalotte.
The dragon gave me this name, for I was born with none.
I was born of dragons, contrived by men.
By ones who would cozen fate herself... They are the ones who created me.
But they failed. I did not come out as intended.
Fate would not be bested, and men were cursed once again.
If you proceed, Nashandra will come after you.
Knowing that you will take the throne, and link the Fire.
She covets the First Flame, and the Great Soul.
Put Nashandra to rest.
And then... End your journey, and mine.
Brave Undead...
You have proven yourself to me.
Now, be one, with the Dark...
You, who link the Fire, you, who bear the curse...
Once the Fire is linked, souls will flourish anew, and all of this will play out again.
It is your choice to embrace, or renounce this.
Great Sovereign, take your throne.
What lies ahead, only you can see...
Honourable Sovereign, take your throne.
And do great things, if it please. He he he...