Anri's Wedding Theory

[Orphan Martian]

Spoilers ahead for those who haven't finished Anri's quest line.

At first this entire cutscene made no sense to me, but I just noticed something after watching it again. Notice how the Ashen One pushes the sword into place, then slowly sinks it in, very similar to how he stabs the Coiled Sword into the bonfire. When he does it with the Coiled Sword, flames spring out, but when he uses the Sword of Avowal, darkness can be seen creeping up from off-screen.

Basically, the whole wedding ritual is the creation of a dark bonfire. I don't even know what that implies, but my mind is blown.

[gackie]

That actually makes alot of sense.

[Burusagi]

On my second playthrough picking that ending, I actually noticed that Anri is alive and well (well, undead and well as it were) - he/she is kneeling before your character with Yuria and her friends in the final cutscene.

https://youtu.be/YoQwXlZ_dzU?t=880

Which ironically makes it the "best" ending for that character.

[Werewolf Moms]

I'll copy and paste my two cents from a previous thread

When one decides to usurp the flame, there are some prerequisites. For one, an unkindled must be willing and able to surpass their true potential and perform a rite of matrimony, wedding two powers into one vessel in order to overcome the flame. As the Ashen One finishes off the Flame's last guardian and takes over, there is a struggle between man and fire. As the Ashen One comes to, it is clear that man is the victor here. He is seen walking away from the First Flame surrounded in devouts praising this conquering over fire, sealing in an age not of Fire or Darkness, but a new age of Man. The future is cloudy in this ending, as this is an age that either hasn't been seen before, or at least not for several generations.

Remember, this is a game about absorbing souls. What's not to say maybe other things could be absorbed as well, such as power?

[Orphan Martian]

Originally posted by Alcohol Fueled Brewtality:

Which ironically makes it the "best" ending for that character.

I forgot she returns as a hollow in the end, that means the wedding was actually legit. She is now your Queen of Hollows. Crazy.

[Captain Striker (Empo)]

Still, Anri being a puppet makes me feel sad for Anri. What purpose would a Dark Bonfire serve, or what is the importance of Anri being your (possibly unwilling) spouse in the whole scheme of things. Like you cant be a Lord without someone at your side? I mean, Yuria could just do that herself.

[Vinyltavia]

Originally posted by Captain Striker:

Still, Anri being a puppet makes me feel sad for Anri. What purpose would a Dark Bonfire serve, or what is the importance of Anri being your (possibly unwilling) spouse in the whole scheme of things. Like you cant be a Lord without someone at your side? I mean, Yuria could just do that herself.

Yuria's the Side Chick she always wanted to be.

[Rinera]

Originally posted by Dank Bouls:

Originally posted by Alcohol Fueled Brewtality:

Which ironically makes it the "best" ending for that character.

I forgot she returns as a hollow in the end, that means the wedding was actually legit. She is now your Queen of Hollows. Crazy.

That happens only if you didn't let Anri die though...

[Orphan Martian]

Originally posted by Rinera:

That happens only if you didn't let Anri die though...

Not sure what you mean. Anri has to die for the Lord of Hollows ending, and for her to appear by your side. If you save her and help her defeat Aldrich, then she eventually goes hollow and you can fight her. Either way she dies and goes hollow.

[Rinera]

Originally posted by Dank Bouls:

Originally posted by Rinera:

That happens only if you didn't let Anri die though...

Not sure what you mean. Anri has to die for the Lord of Hollows ending, and for her to appear by your side. If you save her and help her defeat Aldrich, then she eventually goes hollow and you can fight her. Either way she dies and goes hollow.

I don't get what you mean either. When does Anri "appear by your side" after you've performed the wedding? I thought that maybe it's in the cinematic of the Usurper ending but I didn't see Anri there. So yeah, where?

[GamingSanta]

Why is the bonfire dark though? Is it a property of the ritual sword? Bonfires can't really be dark. I think this is on to something:

Originally posted by hit indie title from last year:

For one, an unkindled must be willing and able to surpass their true potential and perform a rite of matrimony, wedding two powers into one vessel in order to overcome the flame.

Remember, this is a game about absorbing souls. What's not to say maybe other things could be absorbed as well, such as power?

But the thing is, souls are power. Unless you absorb a sizable portion of Anri's soul, shoving a sword through her face won't do anything. And then the hard part is: If Anri is missing her soul, how is she alive at the end?

[Burusagi]

Originally posted by GamingSanta:

shoving a sword through her face won't do anything.

How do you know? It is clearly not just any sword, and it is clearly about a ritual of some sort - not just stabbing someone.

[GamingSanta]

Originally posted by Alcohol Fueled Brewtality:

Originally posted by GamingSanta:

shoving a sword through her face won't do anything.

How do you know? It is clearly not just any sword, and it is clearly about a ritual of some sort - not just stabbing someone.

Reread my last bit. It's clearly more than stabbing someone, but what are you doing to her exactly? Why do you need to do this to abandon the flame and be king?

[Rinera]

Originally posted by GamingSanta:

Originally posted by Alcohol Fueled Brewtality:

How do you know? It is clearly not just any sword, and it is clearly about a ritual of some sort - not just stabbing someone.

Reread my last bit. It's clearly more than stabbing someone, but what are you doing to her exactly? Why do you need to do this to abandon the flame and be king?

You get the final Dark Sigils that for some reason can only be aquired like this. Maybe Anri actually posseses them or this ritual is mostly symbolic, who knows... Well, the one that knows never says why, that being Yuria.

At least needing a set amount of Dark SIgils so you can become a vessel for the fire makes sense, so that's a start.

[GamingSanta]

Originally posted by Rinera:

At least needing a set amount of Dark SIgils so you can become a vessel for the fire makes sense, so that's a start.

Ok, so we can determine that you're sucking dark sigils out of her in the cutscene.

Since we're not hollows or humans at the start, maybe we need 8 dark sigils to be considered completely hollow?

[Burusagi]

Originally posted by GamingSanta:

Originally posted by Alcohol Fueled Brewtality:

How do you know? It is clearly not just any sword, and it is clearly about a ritual of some sort - not just stabbing someone.

Reread my last bit. It's clearly more than stabbing someone, but what are you doing to her exactly? Why do you need to do this to abandon the flame and be king?

Ah my bad.