SPOILER about Marika and the DLC

[Wolfy]

So we kinda know what's all going on in the DLC but some things just don't make sense. How was Marika born in the Realm of Shadow. We see her Shaman Village and everything but it doesn't make sense that she was born in a realm that is shadow when the shadow came later when was born correct? Is it true that this entire realm is just her nightmares and things that she is afraid of and has tucked in her mind and we are just playing/seeing these come true or it's just an illusion?

Can someone explain this part to me.

[Eastersimulator]

the place where you fight radahn is the place where marika has become a god. so did miquella. The dlc is a actual place in the world, thats why Marika was able to attack it

[Draco Militis]

if youre familiar with dark souls 3, its kinda like the painted world where its not in the world but you can go there, has its own peoples and stuff

[Wolfy]

Originally posted by Eastersimulator:

the place where you fight radahn is the place where marika has become a god. so did miquella. The dlc is a actual place in the world, thats why Marika was able to attack it

So Marika was born in a place called the realm of shadow? Why? Having it named Shadow is very important and confusing. It's also where the "dead" go when they die in the lands between. So how is Marika born there then?

[Chibbix]

It's kinda speculated by some that the entire continent of the land of shadow was originally part of the Lands Between. Specifically, north of Caelid, and south of MotG/Leyndell.

She wasn't born in the land of shadow, she bathed her village in a gold healing light to try and make herself feel better, and when that didn't work, that's when she put it in the land of shadow (or she just did it immediately, I don't think it's explained).I think the Minor Erdtree spell says that she was the only survivor of her village.

Also, dead things don't "go to the land of shadow" when they die. Ideally, they (Humans, or Graced) get put in pots, the pots get brought down to the roots of the Erdtree, the Erdtree absorbs their bodies and souls, and they are reborn as fruits from the Erdtree. Other creatures and uhh... "Cultures" let's say (like the Beast Men) probably reproduce by more traditional means, and have their own dieties associated with them (ancestor spirit for animals), or just follow whatever suits their personalities or whims the most, like the Demi-Human Queen (mages/stars/moon) and the swordsman in the dlc (swordsmanship/Miquella). The Elden Beast is definitely up to something fishy, and is an "outer god" itself, it's just the winner and the one with the most influence when we're playing through the game. Because of the other species association with other gods, the Erdtree doesn't want to deal with them. I kinda believe that if Melania were to have passed before we were going through the game, and the shattering hadn't happened yet, I sincerely doubt she would of been jar'd up for the Erdtree due the Scalet Rot. "Humans/'gods'/demigods" are what the Erdtree picked, and whether the other gods could affect and weaken the Erdtree like Godwyn is doing is pretty possible to me, so other things or humans birthed from the tree that happen to have horns (were stolen by the Crucible's god) are excluded and shunned by humans/gods. Could be argued that the Erdtree/EB does the same thing wit h characters like Boc and Morgott.

The other post saying it's like the painted worlds from the souls games are not wrong at all. Spot on, imo.

[Wolfy]

Originally posted by Chibbix:

It's kinda speculated by some that the entire continent of the land of shadow was originally part of the Lands Between. Specifically, north of Caelid, and south of MotG/Leyndell.

So lands can be split just like the human soul in Elden Ring?

[Eastersimulator]

Originally posted by The White Wolf:

It's also where the "dead" go when they die in the lands between.

no? Where did you hear this?
As far as I know the black shades walking around are the victims of the crusade, not people that die in the lands between.

[SpottedHare]

according to the shadow tree avatar and one of the upgrade materials the land of shadow is everything devoid of grace and the tree didn't grow till the war with the giants AFTER godhood with both trees growing together. So at one point all the land mass was together, as the tree grew what couldn't fit in her order was cast is the shadow and hidden.

The realm of shadow did not exist until latter, her home just happened to be a place that couldn't exist with her order.

[Chibbix]

Originally posted by The White Wolf:

Originally posted by Chibbix:

It's kinda speculated by some that the entire continent of the land of shadow was originally part of the Lands Between. Specifically, north of Caelid, and south of MotG/Leyndell.

So lands can be split just like the human soul in Elden Ring?

Sorry for the long edit, but I believe so, yes. It's one of those super vague things we may never get a straightforward answer to, like Azula.

[Dusk of Oolacile]

It's been known since day-1 that she's a Numen, which means she wasn't born in the Realm of Shadow, she came from the game-equivalent of Africa. Also it was just normal land for quite a while, even after she became a "god".

[0wnz0r]

its a tanimura game, dont try to make sense of the story. appreciate the parts u think r cool n move on.

[mpcgannon]

The trailer said the Land of Shadow is where Marika first set foot, not where she was born. Maybe she came with the coffin ships, set up camp on the village, and was then hunted.

[Wolfy]

Originally posted by Eastersimulator:

Originally posted by The White Wolf:

It's also where the "dead" go when they die in the lands between.

no? Where did you hear this?
As far as I know the black shades walking around are the victims of the crusade, not people that die in the lands between.

The tower in the beginning of the DLC says so. All death washes to the Realm of Shadow.

[Toast]

The curtains surrounding the secudtree make me think that, the land of shadows is somehow Marika’s dream world or subconscious. They’re setup the same in her room in, Leyndell.