AN: Hello there. It's been what, several years since I last uploaded anything onto this site?

Well, burnout and working a full-time job tend to kill a person's creative drive. I've been writing off and on for a while, but I've been hesitant to actually publish anything because I didn't want to fall into the same trap of juggling multiple different stories with ambitious plots. So, for now, I'm just going to focus on working on one story and see where that goes.

And what better place to start than with one of my more recent loves, Elden Ring. This won't be a straight retelling of the game. It will feature several OCs, and I'll be taking a lot of creative twists and liberties with the world and its lore.

So with that, I'll just say that I hold no ownership over Elden Ring or any other From Software IP. The only thing I do claim ownership over are any OCs I have within this story.

I hope you enjoy.


Of Golden Grace and Silver Scales

Prologue: Arise

The Fallen leaves...

Tell a Story.

The great Elden Ring was shattered.

In our home, across the fog, the Lands Between.

A woman hung with her head bowed, her long golden hair hid her face as her arms were held up at either side of her.

Now, Queen Marika the Eternal is nowhere to be found,

A group of hooded individuals held a man in place as another of their own drove a knife into his back.

and on the Night of the Black Knives, Godwyn the Golden was first to perish.

A woman clad in white robes and a large witch's hat stood facing the shadows.

Soon, Marika's offspring demigods all,

A man in a ragged cloak pinned down another man in armor as a massive battle raged all around them.

claimed the shards of the Elden Ring.

A small, slumbering child was cradled in the arm of a robed figure.

The mad taint of their newfound strength triggered the Shattering.

A snake gorged itself upon the bloody remains of a man's head.

A war in which no lord arose.

Across a barren war scarred battlefield, a woman with a golden arm stood across a gigantic warrior clad in armor as he drew his equally massive blades.

A war leading to the abandonment by the Greater Will.

Within a great grave, scores of corpses, long since laid to rest, laid in line. Awaiting the day to rise once more.

Ah... Arise now, ye Tarnished.

Ye dead, who yet live.

The call of long-lost grace speaks to us all.

Glimmers of golden light flickered, seeking those who would heed their call.

The corpse of a large, muscular man hung with his arms and torso tied to the trunk of a tree. Strewn atop the braches behind him was the corpse of a mighty white lion.

A glimmer of golden light appeared before him.

Hoarah Loux, chieftain of the badlands.

The desiccated remains of a man lay curled across a ground covered in runes and equations, a golden mask evoking the sun strapped to his face.

A small glimmer of golden light appeared near him.

The ever brilliant Goldmask.

Within an ancient tomb, a woman with long blonde hair was roused from her eternal slumber next to the corpse she laid with by a small golden light.

Fia, the Deathbed Companion.

A man clad in malformed armor hung by the neck from the gallows as people jeered and threw waste at his corpse.

A tiny glimmer of grace appeared next to his breast.

The loathsome Dung Eater.

Within a tomb, a stone casket sat open. Next to the casket, a stone gargoyle held up a staff in reverence, awaiting the moment that the corpse within would arise once more.

A small glimmer of golden grace appeared over the body.

And Sir Gideon Ofnir, the All-Knowing.

A final tiny glimmer drifted through the air before it came to rest in the palm of an unknown body.

And one other. Whom grace would again bless.

A Tarnished of no renown.

The hand closed around the glimmer of light, and the body rose.

Cross the fog, to the Lands Between.

To stand before the Elden Ring.

And become the Elden Lord.


A gasp passed through the lips of a person as they awoke with a start.

They shot up to a seated position from the place on the floor they lay upon. The thin and worn cloth that had covered their body was thrown off and pooled in their lap, showing that they didn't even so much as have a scrap of clothing to protect them from the chill air.

They shot up to a seated position from the place on the floor they lay upon. The thin and worn cloth that had covered their body was thrown off and pooled in their lap, showing that they didn't even so much as have a scrap of clothing to protect them from the chill air.

This person put a hand to their head as they used their other arm to keep themselves propped up.

With an aching skull and muddled thoughts, they tried to recall who they even were. Hazy memories of their life floated just under the surface, yet they drifted away as they tried to reach for them. And what few they could grasp were fragmented.

After a few moments of fighting off the haze, they were able to recall some of the basics at the very least.

Firstly, they were able to recall that they were, in fact, a woman.

She was able to remember such a fact from combing her own mind and most certainly wasn't reminded of it by looking down and seeing the rather obvious pair of breasts that hung from her chest. Nor did she take a peak below the tarp to make certain.

Yes, she remembered that all on her own!

Another thing she recalled was a feeling of deep sorrow and loss. Perhaps a terrible event had torn her from her home and family? She tried to recall, but nothing came to mind.

She found herself longing to go back home, wherever that may be.

That thought brought her back to the present moment. How did she end up in this strange place?

The answer, like much of her memories, escaped her.

So she tried to recall more of herself, to at least remember what her name was, but the memories were slow to come. All that she could gleam from them was that her name had started with a B.

She tried to focus harder, but nothing came. Only vague flashes of a beautiful city, a woman's gentle smile, and massive scaled beasts that soared through the air.

After a few minutes, she let out an annoyed huff and gave up on the venture. Simply B would have to do for the time being.

So insteadof wallowing in confusionand risking an existential breakdown, the young woman, B, chose to distract herself by examining her surroundings.

It looked as though she had awoken inside an abandoned chapel. It was an old and decrepit place that hadn't seen any life in a very long time.

Old and broken furniture was littered all around the room with thick layers of dust and cobwebs covering them.

Another thing that caught her interest was what appeared to be a person sitting against the wall near a set of double doors.

It looked as though they were asleep given how they were slumped over, but there was something off about them.

Seeing that she wasn't alone, B pulled the rest of the cloth off of her and rose to her feet.

After taking a moment to steady herself, she slowly made her way to the person sitting against the wall.

When she reached the person, she kneeled down to get a better look at them.

It was a woman garbed in what was once a white dress. Her hair was tucked under a white headdress.

It was a woman garbed in what was once a white dress. Her hair was tucked under a white headdress.

Her eyes were open but looked sightlessly off into space. Her skin was pale, unnaturally so, and her neck was bent at an odd angle.

The girl reached out a hand and placed it on the woman's shoulder, only to recoil when she realized that the woman was ice cold.

B stood back up and stepped away from the corpse. She placed a hand to her chest and bowed her head. She rapidly blinked her eyes in an attempt to process what she had just found.

Surprise! Horror! How long had this corpse been here while she slept?

It took a few minutes and several deep breaths for the girl to finally calm herself.

When her breathing evened out, B noticed something else.

There on the floor in front of the woman's corpse was what looked to be a message that let out a soft white glow.

How had she missed that?

The girl knelt down and read the message.

Though the path be broken and uncertain, take your place as Elden Lord.

B looked up from the message and back towards the corpse before her.

She wasn't sure why, but she was certain that this message was intended for her.

Something glimmered in her periphery, and she cast her eyes down towards the dead woman's hand.

There was some sort of item clutched within her grasp, and B felt a sudden compulsion to take it.

She reached out and gently pried the item from the corpse's fingers.

The young woman held it up in front of her and saw that the item was a curled up severed finger. It was a chalky white color and seemed to exude a sort of magic.

At first, she was disgusted, horrified even by the item. Who would carry around someone's severed finger?!

But the longer she held it, the more she felt an odd aura come from the finger. It was as if there was a kind of magic infused into it.

Perhaps this finger was how the woman had scrawled her message?

Regardless of the reason B chose to close her hand around the finger, bring it against her chest, and offer a silent prayer to the dead woman.

When she finished her prayer, she looked down and opened her hand to look at the finger again, only to see that it had vanished, leaving behind tiny flecks of golden light that then sank into her skin.

Surprised, she snapped her head about to see what could have happened to it.

Before her panic could mount any further, the severed finger reappeared in her palm with a soft golden glow.

The young woman was amazed at the sight. She wondered if the phenomenon responded to her intent. So she willed for the finger to vanish again.

She was equally amazed that the finger vanished upon her command.

With her curiosity sated, she looked around the room to see if there was anything else of note.

Her search was, however, interrupted when she felt a chill pass over her skin.

B then realized that she was a little too exposed at the moment and resolved to at least find some clothing before she moved on.

She looked towards the woman's corpse once more and pondered whether to take her clothes as well.

The girl quickly came to the conclusion that it would be going a step too far.

So she decided to look elsewhere for something to wear.

B glanced around for a bit until her eyes landed upon the cloth that had covered her body before.

She moved over to where it was and picked it up.

She held it up before her to see what kind of condition it was in. It was a little too big to simply wrap it around her body and would likely limit her mobility. It was also rather worn and had a few holes in it.

It would take a little work, but the girl could probably make something passable to wear.

With a soft grunt, B set to work, tearing up the cloth into a much more manageable size.

After several minutes, she wrapped the last bit of the cloth into place over her bust. She had accidentally torn off more material than she initially wanted, but there was just enough left over for her to make into a makeshift skirt and top set.

Although the top was quite thin and the skirt hung a tad too low on her hips for her liking. It had proven especially difficult to get the skirt on due to the fact that she had a long tail attached to the base of her spine. It wasn't ideal, but she would have to make do.

B was quite thankful that there was no one to see her squeal in shock and then groan in embarrassment at the discovery and realization that she had forgotten that she even had the limb.

With the matter of her clothing settled, the girl looked about for something she could use to defend herself with.

It wouldn't do to walk around in an unfamiliar place without something to protect herself with.

After a minute or so, B was able to find a rather sizable and sturdy looking piece of lumber that she could use as a makeshift club.

She tested its weight with a few practice swings.

Seeing that it wasn't unwieldy, the young woman nodded her head in approval.

The girl had also found a golden medallion with four small red crystals embedded into it on the floor next to where the tarp was. It had a length of cord attached to it.

B tied the ends of the cord together to form a makeshift necklace and pulled it over her head. Once the medallion was on, she felt a soft warmth flow into her. It felt as though her vigor had grown slightly just by wearing it.

When she saw that there was nothing else to find, the girl finally moved towards the double doors at the end of the room, took a breath to calm her nerves, and with great anticipation, she opened the doors.


The first thing B saw as she opened the doors was the view.

In the distance was a massive castle nestled high atop a sheer cliff.

And off further in the distance, yet towering high above the horizon, was what looked to be an impossibly massive golden tree. It shone with a soft golden glow, and its branches seemed to catch the clouds and eclipse the sun.

It was a sight that left her in awe. Her tail even swished from side to side to reflect the fact.

After a moment, B regained her composure and shook her head to focus. She looked ahead and walked away from the chapel.

She ascended a small set of stairs, and stepped onto a wooden outcropping that hung over a cliff.

It was a part of a walkway built onto the side of the building to help reach the entrance from a lower level.

From the walkway was a set of stairs that led down towards a path leading to an old rope bridge off to her left that further led to an adjacent island.

With only one clear path to take, B descended the walkway and traveled across the bridge with measured steps. Although the old bridge held her weight, each plank creaked as she stepped on them.

The young woman stepped off the bridge and made her way down a short path that led to a small stone archway.

She stopped before the archway and peered into what looked like an old graveyard. At the back of the small graveyard, there was a massive statue of a woman with her arms spread out in a cold embrace.

Seeing nothing of note ahead and no other paths to take, B decided to pass through the graveyard and find the way forward.

As she walked through the open space, the girl saw another path to her right that was blocked by a wall of gold colored fog.

She walked slowly through the graveyard, glancing around at the area around her while clutching her club with both hands.

The sky above was overcast with dark clouds, and the sound of distant thunder echoed through the air.

The young woman was just shy of the center of the small graveyard when something leaped up from behind the statue and crashed into the ground in front of her.

The thing that landed on the ground could only be described as a mass of body parts haphazardly stitched together in no particular order. Multiple arms and legs jutted out from a multitude of misshapen torsos hidden by mismatched cloth, and in its many hands was a large shield and a pair of ornate swords The closest thing the monster had to a head was what looked to be the face and torso of a young child crudely stuck to the front.

The sight of the abomination before her caused the young woman to gasp in horror and stagger back several paces from shock.

Seeming to sense her fear, the monster let out a screech and crawled towards her on its many hands and feet. It swung the pair of swords in its hands in a wide horizontal motion.

In that instance, her survival instincts kicked in, and she backpedaled in time to narrowly avoid being cut by the blade.

When the creature realized it missed, it shrieked and followed up with a horizontal chop.

B rolled to the creature's right side and attempted to circle around it, only for one of its many arms to reach out and grab her ankle, causing the woman to trip.

She crashed to the ground with a grunt.

With an opening made, the monster turned to face the girl and raised its swords high to run her through.

Seeing the oncoming threat, the young woman swung her club and smacked the wrist of the hand that held her ankle. She heard a distinct crack, and it released her.

She had just enough time to notice the swords coming down and roll out of the way just as they were stabbed into the dirt.

B quickly stood back up and actually managed to strike its head with her club twice before it lashed out with its shield.

The front of the shield struck the young woman's right hip with enough force to send her rolling to the ground. Her club slipped from her hand and clattered several feet away.

Realizing that she was now defenseless, B scrambled to reclaim her weapon, narrowly avoiding the many arms that tried to grab her.

Her fingers closed around the handle of her club, and she attempted to get back up onto her feet.

But before she could turn to face the monster again, she felt something hit her back, accompanied by the sound of metal scraping against metal.

The young woman was once again sent crashing into the ground, the breath knocked from her lungs and pain flowering across her back.

She was quickly reminded of her present situation by the creature letting out another ghastly shriek, and she was able to pick herself up and turn to face it.

The monster then unleashed a series of slashes and swipes at B, causing her to continuously back step to avoid the attacks.

She was so focused on the monster in front of her that she failed to notice the cliff behind her until she nearly lost her footing and fell off the cliff.

Her heel had come over the edge, causing her to flail and lean forward to keep herself from falling.

She instinctively looked over her shoulder and saw the sheer drop to the ocean below.

Unfortunately, this momentary distraction proved to be her undoing as the abomination swung its swords and scored a long slice along her left leg and hip.

The young woman screamed as blood poured from the wound.

The creature then prepared to stab her with its swords, only for her to roll to her left.

In her desperation to get away from the monster, B had forgotten about its shield.

The monster swung its arms and struck her with its shield, which sent her reeling.

The shield struck her in the head and upper torso, robbing the breath from her lungs and sending her world spinning uncontrollably. The spinning quickly gave way to a feeling of vertigo and the sound of wind rushing past her ears.

Was she falling? It was hard to tell if she was with how much her head hurt. Suddenly, she felt herself hitting something with a lot of force, enough to once again leave her breathless.

As the world faded to black all around her, she felt her body be enveloped in a biting cold and a feeling that she was sinking.

Soon, everything faded to black.


AN: That's where I'll have to end it for now. Originally, this was part of a much larger chapter. But when I finished it, I realized that the chapter had gotten too long. So, for the sake of editing and to make it less of a slog to read, I split this section off and made it the prologue. If it's not already up, then I'll upload the other half soon. I hope this was enjoyable, and if it caught your interest, then please let me know.

See you around.