The Lore of Elden Ring's Cosmic Sorcerers

A long time ago, an astrologer looked at the sky and found something called primeval current in the stars above. Then, miraculously, what they saw in the cosmos manifested into reality, and the same amber from the stars rained down upon the Lands Between. This shining stone of the cosmos would continue to inspire those who studied it. But there was also darkness up there among the stars, and what some saw would break their minds and inspire a fate worse than death. This is the story of the Cosmic Sorcery of the Elden Ring, a force that would define an entire era of life in the Middle Earths.

It all began with the Founding Starfall, a legendary sorcery that was the founding sorcery of shining stones. You may have missed the spell in your game, but it is located here, hidden along an illusory path, leading to Heretical Rise within the peaks of the Giant Mountains. Its description reveals that it is "the oldest primitive sorcery said to have been discovered by an ancient astrologer." Now we don't know who this astrologer was, but we know that he was not alone. For it was here, on these icy peaks closest to the sky, that the astrologers who preceded the

sorcerers

settled.

And with ancient tools of astronomy, they looked at the cosmos and read destiny in the stars. But this was more than just stargazing. The stars literally rule destiny in Elden Ring. We learn this from the Starlight Shards and Amber Starlight items. The first is a pale blue fragment. It is "what remains of a passing flash of starlight." And the latter is the same. Except it has a pale amber glow. And it speaks of "the belief that if the stars control our destiny, then the amber-hued stars must control the destiny of the gods." Du

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the Seluvis questline, blue starlight fragments are distilled into this blue tonic, which can be given to other NPCs to turn them into summonable puppets.

You are literally using starlight to forcibly control and take away their destiny. When you do this. These same intoxicating drafts had historically been used in the Eternal City, as exemplified by the Nightmaiden & Swordstress Puppets who actually chose this controlled destiny for themselves, presumably in order to better serve the needs of the Eternal City. You can learn more about this in this video where we talk about the Eternal City in its entirety. But the Nx of the Eternal City were not the only ones who extracted energy from the stars in this way. The Royal House of Caria also gained great power from astrology.

The telescope, for example, is actually a smaller part of a larger astrological tool that was once used by members of the Caria royal family for their own brand of Caria astrology that revolved around Rennala and the Full Moon. instead of the stars. But to most, the moon was not considered equal to the stars, and in reality they were the stars that most would turn to for their sorcery. These

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would gather at Raya Lucaria, a place of learning that institutionalized the practice of shining stone witchcraft. And this is a small triumvirate of three factions. There are the Nox and their descendants.

There are the Carians. And there are the sorcerers of Raya Lucaria, whose origins date back to astrology. These factions overlap at times. They interact and clash, and their shared history is fascinating and complicated. But in the end everything returns to the cosmos. But let us return once again to the Foundational Shower of Stars, which tells us that the glimpse of the primeval current that the ancient astrologer saw came true. And amber stars rain upon this land. What exactly is primitive current? Well, let's analyze the term. The word stream means that it is a moving flow or torrent, and the word primitive means that this torrential flow probably existed since the beginning of time.

And thanks to the description of Comet Azur we know that the primitive current is a distant and starry extension. Something that is visually similar to the torrential comet generated by this spell. But what is truly amazing about this

cosmic

force is that somehow this ancient astrologer managed to manifest a shower of stars on earth simply after glimpsing it in the primeval stream of the distant cosmos. And I speculate that Starlight Shards is actually another example of this phenomenon. The description reveals that these are the remains of a passing flash of starlight, and we looted them exclusively at the foot of giant stone astrolabes, which are these ancient stargazing tools.

Therefore, rather than being a piece of star that has fallen to the ground, I think they could be a byproduct of the act of stargazing. Why else would we loot them here? And so, in the same way, first established with these fragments of Starlight and then with the founding Starfall, the shining stone sorcerers would continue to replicate this phenomenon, using their powers of comprehension to conceive new

cosmic

elements that could manifest in reality. . Or, to put it another way, they formulated spells that allowed them to throw giant stones at each other, and it was a great success for everyone.

But among these shining stone sorcerers there were some who wished to truly understand the mysteries of the primeval stream, no matter the cost. These were sorcerers like Lusat and Azur, who would literally become Crystal in order to synchronize and better understand these powers of the cosmos. And then there was Sellen, the carved witch, who threw all ethics to the wind and wished to see humanity ascend no matter the cost. And make no mistake, the stars are alive, in a sense. Look at Astel, for example. This is a poorly formed star, but a star nonetheless. Born from a void, or so it is said.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. It seems that most witches would be content to simply manifest cosmic power. And so they would embed a piece of physical twinkle stone into a staff and then use that twinkle stone as a sort of catalyst for the stars above and since twinkle stone was needed to channel spells, and since sorcerers needed twinkle stone to study, I think that having access to the physical sparkling stone Glitstone would have been a really big deal. And fortunately for the sorcerers, the shining stone, which comes from meteorites and comets, had fallen into the hands of previous legends.

So these valuable crystals were mined and put to great use. And so, above and among enormous quantities of shining stones in the lakes of Liurnia, a place of learning was built. An institution known as Raya Lucaria Academy. The witches as a whole were powerful. They could read fate in the stars, fire cosmic projectiles at their enemies, and potentially even control the fate of others. So naturally there needed to be an institution for its power, a place of learning, but also a place of hierarchy, and even government, where the rules about sorcery could be debated and enforced.

When you traveled through Raya Lucaria, you would have collected these symbols of their institution. These are stone masks called sparkle crowns. And not everyone should wear these crowns. They are a symbol of achievement and represent one's mastery of a certain landscape or school of learning within the academy. They are also a good weapon if all else fails. But why was this design specifically chosen as a symbol of achievement? Well, according to many object descriptions, not only is there life in the stone, but there is also wisdom contained in the stone. So the masks were made of stone and set with shiny stones.

The shiny stone is usually placed over the eyes or brain. A tradition that I assume originated with the Azure Sorcerer, who was one of the first, if not the first, shining stone sorcerer. His blue-green sparkle crown was set with crystals and eventually replaced his own brain and skull entirely, enhancing his powers by helping him catalyze with sparkles. Although it clearly took a great physical toll, and I speculate that this crown eventually replaced his own brain and skull because the glowing stone does that. It corrodes. Consume. We better see the effects of it on other creatures like the dragon Smarag, who was the devourer of sorcerers with a body that would eventually be corroded by the glowing stone of him.

Thanks to that strict witch diet. But as with Azur, this corrosion was not without benefits. And now he exhales a powerful breath of shining stone. The Azure Sorcerer was one of the first sorcerers of the primitive current, but he was not the only one. There was also the sorcerer Lusat, who experienced a similar convergence of body and mind with shining stones. Together, these masters of sorcery each glimpsed a part of the primitive current. And from what I gather, the primitive current seems like the kind of thing that can only be glimpsed once before breaking or terrifying the viewer.

Azur and Lusat only have one current primitive spell each. After all, for example, when Lusat glimpsed the primeval current, he conceived the Stars of Ruin spell while contemplating the final moments of a great star cluster. And when he saw it, he was also devastated. And when Azur glimpsed the primeval current, he saw darkness and conceived the spell Azure Comet, but he remained bewitched and feared the abyss. Both Azur and Lusat clearly had a prominent role in the Academy. But Azur was specifically the first shining stone founding sorcerer to have an impact on Raya Lucaria, because there is a line of research called Karolos Conspectus, dubbed the oldest of the Academy's study lineages spawned by the Sorcerer Azur Sorcerers, who follow your steps.

Studying this, Conspectus pursues the mysteries of comets, leading to new types of sorcerous comets such as the Glintstone Comet Shard and Shard Spiral. Each Conspectus appears to be named after a founding individual. After all, these stone crowns are designed after real people. People you can see in person in their matching portraits at the academy. So, although Karolos Conspectus follows the path pioneered by the Azure Sorcerer, the knowledge of learning from him must have been formalized in some way by someone named Karolos. But as time went on, more conjectures had to be created as new lines of research were discovered.

And so, logically, the Olivinus Conspectus should have been the second to be created, since this line of research also deals with the study of meteors in the primitive stream, except that this conspectus began with the sorcerer Lusat. His spells studied star clusters with lesser spells like Glintstone Stars and Star Shower, all echoing the great Stars of Ruin Spell that originally broke Master Lusat. Lusat and Azur were true teachers at the Academy. After all, they were actually nicknamed Grandmasters, specifically with special robes that reflected that, and it seems that no one ever reached such a rank or sacrificed as much as them.

And they sacrificed a lot. They can hardly move anymore. And when Sellen talks about them, he talks about their bodies rather than a person who lives traditionally. Perhaps they have actually ascended to a higher plane of existence. That might explain why they were no longer around to form their own consensus, something that was left to Karolos and Olivinus, and others. With such enigmatic founders, many dedicated themselves to the study of the shining stone, taking vows of virtue and austerity. In exchange, they received Raya Lucaria's deep blue robe and were able to study on her grounds. Some Leyndell nobles were even allowed to study here clearly.

However, their limited achievements never justified them earning a stone crown. And fittingly, you only see them throwing shiny rocks in the game. To aid them in their learning, a powerful spellcaster used to go and cast a spell called Terra Magica from the highest bell tower of the academy. This seal would be cast with such force and allow for such a vivid experience of spellcasting success that it would turn many novices into true sorcerers in an instant of understanding. But not all learning took place in the academy. In fact, a pair of signature spells were specifically granted to those who left the academy to embark on journeys.

Starlight is the spell that guides these sorcerers in dark places and says: "even du

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the blackest nights, stays underground or imprisonment in jail, the stars are never far from a sorcerer's side." And then there was the Glintstone Arc, which would allow these novice sorcerers to fight their way through the ranks of fools who would outnumber them on their travels. The academy encouraged these trips. There was even a conspectus for this practice, called the Hierodas Conspectus, with a crown awarded to scholars who engaged in nomadic studies outside of the academy. In the game, this crown is worn by the wandering sorcerer Wilhelm, who fights with night spells and wields the Staff of Loss, which enhances night spells.

This staff doesn't even have a shiny stone embedded in its tip. And supposedly, as a result, onlycan cast night spells. That's how important asceticism was for some witches. And they believed it was a powerful path to discovery. This scenario also seems to see value in depriving the senses. After all, the Crown of Heirodas is blindfolded. We also see this same practice of covering the eyes with a veil in the Eternal City. And the descendants of Nox were, of course, accomplished practitioners of nocturnal sorceries, which seem to be thematically tied to this blindfolded, ascetic embrace of the void.

Moving on, however, this habit of dismissing novice sorcerers must have posed a bit of a problem. However, as war broke out in the Lands Between Raya Lucaria, he closed and sealed his gates, barring access to most, including his traveling novice sorcerers. The only way to get back inside was to use a glowing stone key to activate the warp magic within the seals. These keys only seem to belong to accomplished sorcerers and remember their users, meaning that thieves or blunt stones like Thops wouldn't be able to get in. In the current era, Thops mentions that the Academy closed its doors after declaring that they would not interfere with The Shattering.

Now, this suggests to me that the Academy might have been in the habit of striving for a kind of neutrality or indifference in world affairs. In fact, they had developed an entire group seeking power to quell the conflict. These were the battle mages of the Haima wraiths who wielded stone clubs and cannon and mace spells. A gavel is commonly used as a symbol of judgment, but rather than interfering with external affairs, I believe the Haima Conspectus primarily functioned as the Academy's judicial branch. His crown is even blindfolded, which is widely considered in the real world to be a symbol of impartial justice and his combat readiness.

The Haima Conspectus were cited as the only ones who dared to venture outside whenever war broke out. And like the blindfolded members of the Hierodas Conspectus, the battle mages of Haima believed that isolation was not a way to encourage discovery and instead believed it was only a convenient way to escape. That said, we also find sorcerers of other aspects outside the academy, although it can be inferred that they are a little cautious when it comes to being away from home because they are often accompanied by puppets. Puppets are dolls. Constructions that were created and animated by the sorcerers who are their teachers.

There are a couple of variants. There is an avian variant with curved swords that can fly and launch pots of fire. And then there are the typical puppets with spiked spears, short swords and short bows. Many short arcs. These will usually fall on you in an ambush, and while they like to go a little ballistic, they act as roughly effective support for many of the spellcasters you'll encounter in the game. You'll even find some of these in the Raya Lucaria Crystal Tunnel, where glowstone miners work hard to extract glowstones and minerals. However, these miners do not use conventional tools.

Instead, they mine with a digging staff embedded with a glowing stone that casts spells like Shatter Earth or Rock Blaster. A fascinating little detail here, however, is that these mining spells carried a huge stigma in academia because they marked their user as a failed scholar, perhaps someone who had to resort to menial jobs. Lack of intelligence to pursue the complex mysteries of the cosmos. In fact, Overseers attack by crushing chunks of glowing stone instead of using advanced sorceries. At the end of the Crystal Tunnel is a Crystalian, an inorganic being that was carved from Crystal long ago.

But these are more than mere constructs. They are ancient and even possess a kind of weak intellect, called "stone wisdom." A long time ago, they even reached a concord or agreement with the royal family of Caria. We do not know the nature of this agreement, but some can be found relaxing at the altar in the moonlight. Perhaps they were allowed to stay very close to their crystals. And for their part, we do know that the Cristalians taught the Carians a spell called Magical Downpour to commemorate the occasion. And Raya Lucaria also sought kinship with these beings, because they are close to the ideals of the primitive current and are therefore revered guests of sorcerers.

The best example of this might be in the dimly lit Crystal Cave Academy beneath Raya Lucaria. a crystal cave that is not mined, perhaps out of respect for the Crystal Duo at the end of the tunnel. There are even homes down here. And I suspect that they belong to a group of sorcerers called the Crystal Cadre, which was a group founded to research the wisdom stone that the Crystalians possessed. However, like the primitive stream, these sorcerers clearly do not have all the answers about these beings. They call them inscrutable and point out that they have only one clear purpose: to safeguard their crystals. until the end.

However, there is a theory about these beings, and it is that they are waiting, longing for the return of their creator, who will carve new brothers for them. A few sorcerers here near Crystalian are in possession of the Helm of Twinsage, which marks them as members of the Twinsage Conspectus. These were the elites of the Academy, who were allowed to study and excel at sorcerers of all kinds. And I suppose it was these members, these elite members, who would emerge from this cave and launch the legendary Terra Mágica that would cover the entire Academy grounds from this tall bell tower we mentioned earlier.

But the Twinsage Helm was not the only mark of a competent scholar. There was also the Witch's shining stone crown, which was awarded to a scholar who excelled in her studies, who also earned the title of "Witch." And again, you can see most of these conspectus portraits hanging in Raya Lucaria. For example, here is the witch, the twin sage Karolos, Olivinus, and all of these portraits are hanging in the debate room of the academy, where the members would likely have argued to test and help validate their ideas about sorcery. It's also where I assume they argued over whether certain things should be allowed to be learned here or whether certain members should be exiled.

But we'll get to that shortly, because first, the final scenario we haven't mentioned yet is the Lazuli Conspectus. These sorcerers studied lunar sorceries, an "unorthodox pursuit that regards the moon as equal to the stars." With a robe co

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d with the tone of the full moon, signifying his heresy. And, of course, these sorceries include many characteristic Caria spells. And so we finally arrived at Caria. This is the Caria mansion. And to the south are the stargazing sites, both located on the western coast of Liurnia, which, according to the map, has always been closely associated with Caria royalty.

They have been around for a long time. A long time. Specifically, Caria has its roots in ancient astrologers who existed alongside fire giants. This is most evident when you look at two elements. First, the Sword of Night and Flame, which became a historical sword and treasure of Caria Manor. It was clearly made to commemorate the astrologers' first experiences with the primitive current and also their shared experiences with the fire giants. And the fact that Caria inherited this sword suggests that they traced their ancestry back to the time of this sword. And then there's Stargazer Heirloom, which tells of the rise of Caria as a royal house through Rennala and the Full Moon of it.

The young astrologer contemplated the night sky as she walked. She had always chased the stars at every step of her journey. She then met the Full Moon and, over time, the astrologer became queen. This royal house continued this tradition of stargazing and raised Carian princesses and knights to serve as their servants. One of the most prominent Carian knights was named Loretta, a woman we recently talked about in the video I made about the Eternal Cities, as it was rumored that she was albinauric. As you know if you watched that video, the Albinauric were widely despised in the Between Lands, although Caria is one of the few factions that seems to be quite friendly to them.

Albinauric sorcerers are found throughout Caria Manor, and one named Pidia is literally called a Carian servant who unites the eternal cities with Caria in an alliance perhaps, which could have allowed them to learn more about the stars from the albinaurs. In any case, Rennala, with her Full Moon spells, was the champion of Caria. Apparently, a prominent one too. And it's no surprise if you look at the powerful Full Moon feature of it. It has immense gravity and eclipses all other magic. He lowers the defenses. He is charming and Rennala used all of these traits to charm the academy, cast a spell on them, and become not only the Queen of Caria, but also Raya Lucaria's teacher.

And of course, here's the portrait of her most prominently displayed at Raya Lucaria Academy, right next to what many assume to be a portrait of Sellen. Because if she unmasks her in the game, then she actually looks a lot like this witch, someone who was worthy of an entire study and was apparently the most promising sorceress in the history of the academy. But even Sellen, with all her promise, or perhaps because of her promise, would not be tolerated in the end. If you remember, I was exiled from Raya Lucaria Academy. It was for trying to restore the primitive stream of shining stone witchcraft.

The toothless pedantry promoted by the royal family of Caria can rot for all I care. I want Glintstone witchcraft that opens our minds, free of earthly taboos. That Sellen knows so much about what she calls the toothless pedantry peddled by the royal family of Caria. I assume that she was part of the Academy during Rennala's reign, and that it was Rennala's influence that ultimately led to the Academy's intolerance toward current primitive research. And Sellen was not the only one expelled from the Academy. Masters Azure and Lusat, two of the founding masters of Glintstone Witchcraft, were also expelled from the Academy at some point.

And it's easy to see why the primitive current is dangerous. Lusat's mind was shattered after watching a star cluster break up. Azur saw a darkness in the primeval current and was afraid of the abyss of it. And imagine something so dangerous that just looking at it can irreparably damage your mind. In this way, the primitive current is almost Lovecraftian in its horror. We cannot pinpoint the exact truth of why it terrifies. But we see its terrible effects on others and are amazed. What's more, this cosmic current is primitive. It is one of the first, if not the first, to exist in the universe.

And the fact that our cosmic origins can be terrifying is really a strange and fascinating thought, right? I mean, I want to know what it is in this current that is driving everyone crazy. Although I'll mention it again, we know that at least creatures like Astel are up there, and Astel is a characteristically horrible Lovecraftian monster. So yes. In any case, Raya Lucaria was an institution now with power and influence in the Between Lands and with these things, naturally, the need for self-preservation would have arisen, and the greatest threat at this stage would not have been external.

It would have been internal. The greatest threat was to probe too deeply into the primitive current. And so, while the current primitive research seems fine as long as it is under Karolos or Olivinus Conspectus, a line was drawn and Masters Azur and Lusat were eventually expelled from the academy, as was Sellen the Witch. When we first meet her, Sellen claims that shining stone sorcery has its roots in the study of the stars, and she laments that most witches have forgotten that fact. She is upset that sorcerers took her power and then turned a blind eye to further investigation to protect themselves.

And it's quite easy to empathize with her and see her as an underdog, fighting for the truth against a huge institution. Even Thops thinks that she is a good person in the end. But can you really blame Raya Lucaria for taking a stance when you see this? This is a school of carved wizards, a mass of sorcerers fused together so that they can be transformed into star seeds. As

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goes, this was apparently a valid line of research into the primitive current, and that in the name of this research, fellow sorcerers should be gathered and merged into a group, to, I suppose, create a star made of life. .

These creations were considered the nightmare of the academy. That's right. They represented Sellen's total loyalty to the truth, no matter the cost to her fellow human beings. Naturally, something like that had to be prohibited. But then you have to empathize a little with Sellen and agree that it's a bit ironic that the exact line of research that gave rise to the Academy was precisely what ultimately posed a threat to its existence. Over time, the Academy would seek to rid itself of Caria's influence,but the Carian royal family had long prepared for the academy's disloyalty. There is a reason why the Carian Knight's shields are extremely resistant to magic.

There's a reason there are many spells based on a Carian Retaliation policy where magic can be absorbed and then returned against its caster. There's a reason why his knights swore specifically to the moon, not the stars. Rennala, as a competent astrologer, could even have foreseen the academy's eventual disloyalty, although that is just speculation on my part. But before that, there was another war that would come first. A war against the champions of gold, which Caria was also extremely prepared to face. Erdtree's order had conquered the fire giants, the Storm Lords, and Caria and the Academy were next, it seemed. led by Radagon, who we now know was part of Marika.

A great war began. But here the Erdtree order really met its match. Despite being fewer than 20, the Carian Knights were a match for even the gold champions in battle, and the Enchanted Troll Knights also fought on Caria's side, called to service by an ancient oath made with Rennala in their youth at the top. of the Giant Mountains. And so, instead of overcoming a stalemate, a truce was proposed between the two parties, which was sealed in holy matrimony. Radagon once cleansed himself with heavenly dew, repented of his territorial aggressions, and swore love to Rennala; the Order of the Erdtree and the Fate of the Moon united and all the wounds of the war were forgiven.

And of course, we all know that Radagon is Marika, but no one else knew. And so secrecy was of utmost importance to Radagon, and he imposed this necessity on his newly acquired vassals. These are the Carian preceptors, essentially teachers of sorcery who serve Carian royalty. They wear these blue robes embroidered with cosmic designs, which is surely a reference to Caria's astrological heritage. But when Radagon married Rennala, he ordered the Carian preceptors to wear additional clothing. A mask with the mouth sewn with gold thread in that signature Radagon criss-cross pattern. To make it clear that all of his affairs were to be kept strictly private.

Because of course Radagon was hiding something that could be seen if someone looked too closely. In fact, this desire for secrecy was well founded, as someone watched him too closely during that time. A sculptor who secretly incorporated this dichotomy between Radagon and MariKa into his work. But no one else discovered Marika/Radagon's secret. Not until we arrive. And long before that, Radagon would leave Rennala and his heart would accompany him. And it was then that those at the academy realized that Rennala was not a champion after all. When we see her, we realize that she was probably left quite dumb and innate after this loss of Radagon.

Therefore, it was no surprise that the Academy took this opportunity to rebel against the Caria royalty. With Rennala essentially held hostage and safely locked in her Great Library, the Academy went to war with Caria, focusing their assault on Caria Manor. Because a siege took place there, commemorated by this cemetery of swords. The enchanted soldiers who fought on behalf of the Academy were named Knights of the Cuckoo. Wearing red and blue surcoats representing their namesake and carrying shields that boasted high magic damage denial. They were explicitly designated as mage hunters and have been quoted as saying that our enemy is none other than Caria itself.

They also throw Albinauric vessels, which refer to the torture of the Albinaurics and the hatred that the Cuckoos have towards the Albinaurics. And besides, albinaurics are found throughout Caria. So these Cuckoo Knights were fighting some real enemies here. But despite some of their descriptions, which say that the Cuckoo Knights swore an oath to the Academy, I think that's actually just Raya Lucaria's wishful thinking. The Scholars' Armament and Shield spells, for example, were actually spells that were, quote, "taught to the Cuckoo Knights as payment for their contract." So they were paid to fight and learning these low intellect spells suited them because they were not competent sorcerers.

For example, instead of casting spells, they would smash broken clumps of glowing stones called "fake sorceries" or false sorceries by the academy. But most revealing of his allegiance is the Cuckoo Knight's Armor, which says "his left chest is adorned with a staring cuckoo. Where does the name come from," which directly admits that perhaps the bird's sly gaze is an expression of his refusal to be mere servants. of the academy. And in the end, the Cuckoo Knights failed badly. Not only were they defeated in the siege of Caria Manor, but they were also turned into puppets there.

And many now fight in the name of Caria. We get an idea of ​​how much they must resent this when they somehow break free and confront Pidia, a carian, an albinauric, and a magician. Three things they absolutely hate. But unfortunately guys, that's where I have to leave things for now. There is a full summary I also wanted to do about Sellia, the city of Sorcery. But honestly, I feel like it's very difficult to speculate and decipher about Sellia. So considering how long it would take to put it into words, I guess it will have to wait until another video.

But subscribe, because I'll talk about it eventually. And I think I'll give Sellen his own cry-ready episode too. Yours is going to be amazing. There are some good things ahead. As always, special thanks to Quelaag for reviewing the script and of course to Mispap1 who made all the amazing visuals in this video. He is a true master and I am lucky to work with him. But see you next time, guys. Thanks for watching. Subtitled by in2thevoyde