Life is a crucible, a forge that shapes us through trials and flames. In moments of despair, it may feel as though the weight of the world will crush you. But know this: it is in the fire that the strongest steel is made.

Hardship is not the end; it is a test, a refining process that burns away what is unnecessary and reveals your true strength. You are not defined by the pain you endure, but by how you rise from it. Each step forward, no matter how small, is a triumph.

Do not fear the darkness, for it is often there that we find the light. Lean on those who care for you, and do not be ashamed to seek help. Even in your lowest moments, remember this: storms will pass, and the dawn will come again. Hold fast to hope, for it is the anchor of the soul.



"Thou shalt see further on, an Abyss was begat of the ancient beast, and threatens to swallow the whole of Oolacile. Knight Artorias came to stop this, but such a hero has nary a murmur of Dark. Without doubt he will be swallowed by the Abyss, overcome by its utter blackness... Indeed, the Abyss may be unstoppable..."
-----Elizabeth



Sir Artorias was one of the knights at the service of Gwyn, Lord of Sunlight who, thanks to his unmatched skill with a greatsword and indomitable will, had become one of Gwyn's most trusted warriors and was rewarded with a fragment of Gwyn's powerful Lord Soul. Along with Ornstein, Ciaran and Gough, he became part of the Four Knights of Gwyn and as a symbol of his association with the order he gained a magical ring with the wolf symbol, which strengthened his poise, making his fighting style with his greatsword more effective.
Artorias wore his distinctive azure-blue tassel armor as a symbol of pride and glory and brandished his Greatsword and Greatshield. Artorias was also a dear friend of Ciaran, his companion as another Knight of Gwyn. At a certain point Artorias met Sif, a great grey wolf, and formed a deep bond with it, fighting alongside the fearsome animal like he was his companionto the point that the wolf learned to fight with his greatsword and acquired the power of Artorias' soul.
At some point after Lord Gwyn sacrificed himself to link the fading First Flame, the Primordial Serpent Kaathe began searching for a human strong enough to become the Dark Lord capable of leading humans and usher in an Age of Dark. At some point Kaathe arrived in new Londo and managed to seduce the Four Kings, powerful humans who had received a fragment of Gwyn's Lord Soul, to follow his ideals, teaching them the art of Lifedrain so that they could preserve their humanity even while Undead and so cast off the shackles placed upon them by the gods. But his dark influence did not stop with the kings and extended to their entire army: The knights of New Londo became Darkwraiths, servants of the Dark who learned the art of Lifedrain and used it to absorb humanity. As the Four Kings were able to open an Abyss in the center of their city, their very bodies were mutated by their freed Dark Soul and the Darkwraiths' armor transformed too as they began to employ the Red Eye Orbs granted by Kaathe to seek humanity and plunge further into the powers of Dark.
A nation of humans freed from the shackles of the Darksign and who not only began to understand the powers of their Dark Soul but had an entire army at their disposal that shared this power represented an unparalleled threat to the gods of Anor Londo who branded the Darkwraiths as diabolical enemies of man and of every living thing. For this reason Artorias, as one of the Four Knights of Gwyn, was sent to fight the dark soldiers of New Londo and was given a Silver Pendant to deflect the Dark of the Abyss in its magical forms. However this did not prove sufficient to cross into the Abyss of the Four Kings, and Artorias was forced to forge a covenant with the "beasts of the Abyss", obtaining a ring that would allow him to cross the Abyss but also cursed his sword in the process. Artorias thus became known as the "Abysswalker" and hunted the Darkwraiths but failed to eliminate the Four Kings and close the Abyss of New Londo. Having failed to eliminate the dark threat, an agonizing and terrible decision was made: flooding the entire land of New Londo despite the realization that countless lives and the entire culture of the country would be lost. For this task, sorcerers were called and the feat was accomplished without even evacuating the city's civilians, sealing away the Four Kings, their Darkwraiths and the entire population with them. The victims were cursed and became Ghosts roaming the ruins of their country.
Kaathe, following his failure with the Four Kings, arrived in Oolacile and manipulated the country to upturn the grave of Manus, a primordial man with an extraordinary Dark Soul and dark sorcery skills, that had been buried beneath the dungeons of their city and resurrect him. However, the royal family of Oolacile took the precious broken pendant of Manus for themselves, giving it to Princess Dusk. The wrenching nostalgia connected to his object of obsession and the sincere hope to reclaim it drove Manus mad and his Dark Soul went wild, transforming him into a dark beast eternally seeking his pendant. His immense mass of humanity out of control led to the manifestation of an Abyss that spread, threatening to devour the entire land. The Dark emanating from Manus did not limit itself to generating countless Humanity Phantoms with a will of their own but also influenced the residents of Oolacile, making their humanity go wild and horribly mutating their bodies, bloating their head and opening them with cracks lined with innumerable tiny red eyeballs and protruding brain parts.
As the Abyss continued to spread across the land of Oolacile, Knight Artorias arrived to stop it and confront Manus, as the Knight of Gwyn already had experience with fighting the Abyss and its creatures in New Londo, and possessed a Silver Pendant that protected him from the Dark. Artorias, together with his trusted companion Sif, thus faced Manus but his strength proved insufficient to defeat the Father of the Abyss and he succumbed to the Abyss. Wounded by the battle, Artorias used his Cleansing Greatshield to form a barrier to protect Sif, leaving a magic barrier to repel the Dark. Artorias, now corrupted to the Soul by the Abyss and with his armor corroded, was left to fight alone and wounded the distorted creatures of Oolacile. At one point Manus managed to retake possession of his lost pendant, kidnapping Princess Dusk and taking her to his Abyss. However, due to a time distortion, Manus found himself chasing a further copy of his pendant, but this one was located in the future. Using his Dark power, Manus snatched the Chosen Undead that found it from the future bringing him to the Oolacile of the past. This Undead would be able to put the corrupted Artorias to rest and succeed him in his mission, facing Manus and defeating him, thus saving Oolacile from further corruption. Thanks to Elizabeth's confidentiality, the legend spread that Artorias had defeated Manus and his Abyss, omitting the role of the unsung hero to preserve the honor of the knight. Ciaran, who had arrived at the location, also requested the Soul of Artorias from the Chosen Undead who had finally put an end to the knight's suffering, with the intention of paying proper respects to her passed dear friend.
As centuries passed, the ruins of Oolacile became overgrown and the region became known as the "Darkroot Garden", where the remnants of the ancient Guardians of the city still patrol the area as Stone Knights. Sif survived the battle with Manus thanks to the intervention of the Chosen Undead. The wolf inherited Artorias' divine greatsword and the magical ring that had allowed the knight to cross the Abyss. The wolf settled in the forest where Artorias' tomb had been erected and, holding his companion's sword in his jaws, continued to fight to guard Artorias' rest, sl