Putrefaction of Gold

by etwas22

Godwyn is slain. The Elden Ring is broken. Queen Marika is nowhere to be found. Left on their own, her demigod children struggle to come together for the sake of the Lands-Between. Each has their own ambitions and understanding of Marika's last wishes and must decide whether they should adhere to them or not. An Elden Ring Fanfiction takes the viewpoints of the three mightiest d

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Thank you for reading! This was a project that began when trying to understand the deep lore behind the game. And deep it is!

The story of Elden Ring was deeply influenced by 16th-century alchemy principles as well as many aspects of European folklore. As such, I am using those same sources to flesh out many areas that were left unclear in the game.

I also, of course, wish to thank The Untarnished Archeologist and the ever-excellent VaatiVidya for their takes on the lore which helped inspire many of the aspects adopted in this fanfiction. Seriously, check out their channels! Also Ededdyeded for inspiring me to take a serious crack at writing this. His fanfiction "The Godless Age" is available on Wattpad. It's pretty entertaining.

Again, I am not saying that my interpretation of the events of Elden Ring is "right" or superior to others. Only that it's one of countless possibilities.

Many of the cryptic phrases found at the beginning, end, and sometimes even the middle of many of the chapters were derived and adapted from primary and secondary sources that help us understand alchemy as an art, a science, and a philosophy. And so it becomes necessary to ensure that these sources are properly cited not only to lend proper credit to their authors.

Again, thank you for reading and please leave feedback.

Works Cited

1. Fabricius, Johannes. Alchemy: The Medieval Alchemists and Their Royal Art. Diamond Books, 1994.

2. Roob, Alexander, and Shaun Whiteside. Alchemy and Mysticism: The Hermetic Museum. Taschen, 2019.

3. Shakespeare, William. William Shakespeare: Complete Works Illustrated. Edwards Brothers, Inc., 2009.

4. Gardner, John, et al. Gilgamesh: Transl. from the SÎN-Leqi-Unninni Version. Vintage Books, 1985.