Elden Ring: Putrefaction of Gold

The Daughters of Sulfer

Ranni returned to Leyndell in the company of one of Godwyn's soldiers, who they said was called "Rick." He was an odd fellow and excited to return to Leyndell since "it had been a while since he and Marika last talked." A puzzling statement since Ranni couldn't see how a common soldier in the Lands-Between would know Queen Marika, much less have a conversation with her.

Ranni refused his offer at first. Commoners made up almost all of Limgrave's footsoldiers, and such was forbidden entry into Leyndell. With the urgency of the matter, Ranni could not afford to complicate the logistics of her return. But Rick insisted, stating that she would experience no such delays.

He then switched the topic and asked her if she knew anything about the game called chess, to which Ranni replied only casually. Rykard was more the chess player, often outmaneuvering her with his queen.

"Ah, he's a rookie. Once we're in Leyndell, I will tell you the secret to capturing that troublesome queen."

Still, once she was in his care, had Rick told Ranni he was some god, she might have believed him. His command over the carriage was uncanny as he avoided even the slightest bump and imperfection in the stone road. Ranni, who couldn't seem to take even the slightest rocking without making her feel sick, found herself relaxed. Even Aurelia and Aureletta seemed to calm their constant movement to give their mother a moment to doze off. Sure, they still moved a bit, but they were away from the stress of Stormveil Castle.

It worried Ranni how much their father's anger seemed to affect them, even though they weren't born yet.

The golden rooftops of Leyndell were a relief to the princess. Sure, as he promised, Rick rode right through the gate without so much more than a brief word to the guards at the gate.

Leyndell's people seemed largely unaware of the happenings in Limgrave. They called it a "mild dispute" instead of a total war that it was. Most seemed not to even know about Malenia. Sure, there was talk of Miquella and "a great miracle" involving the boy. Harolds of the Golden Order shouted that Queen Marika had declared the coming of a new age that would preserve the Golden Order and its fundamental principles.

Ranni's heart sank. Each moment seemed her bid for power waned. Each day grew more hopeless that the halting of the stars was temporary, as her father suggested at the council all those months ago. She tried to remember Iji's wise words that if he was Elden Lord, he might feel forced to make the same decision. Without Rennala, the Carian Royal Family could not sustain itself as any serious power.

"New Age?" scoffed one merchant. "You want a 'New Age,' then burn this place to ashes."

Ranni was surprised by the comment and asked Rick to stop the carriage. She pulled up the hood of her cloak to avoid immediate recognition and stepped out to see what the commotion was about.

People grew upset with the merchant, with some pulling up the bricks on the road to throw at him. But even with the threats of death, the merchant stayed firm with his eyes, giving an eerie yellow hue.

"We shouldn't stay here," said Rick.

"I need to see this," said Ranni. She needed to understand things from the perspective of those who lived in the Lands-Between and not as a demigod aloof from the concerns of mortals.

"It is nothing but madness!"

Madness wasn't an understatement. When people went to threaten the merchant, they soon dropped to their knees, grabbed their ears, and wailed about a searing pain.

"Ugg!" said Ranni as she felt the burning sensation. Images of yellow fire swirled around her mind, and she soon was too disoriented to know where she was.