Summary
- Messmer, a child of Queen Marika, was born cursed with the Abyssal Serpent within him, sealed by his mother to protect her reign.
- Messmer acted as an older brother to Radahn, forging a connection to characters in Elden Ring beyond the DLC content.
- Queen Marika sent Messmer to the Realm of Shadow to purge the Hornsent, leading to his title 'the Impaler' and eventual betrayal.
Before Shadow Of The Erdtree, fans of Elden Ring were introduced to Queen Marika and her extensive family tree. The Shardbearers that the chosen Tarnished had to defeat were the children and grandchildren of this godlike regent. The DLC, though, reveals the existence of another child of Marika who had been kept hidden from fans of the game in the new area, the Realm Of Shadow
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Messmer has remained hidden throughout the events of The Shattering and stays secret through most of the events of the main game. However, in the newest content for Elden Ring, fans are given the background about the forgotten son and details about who he is, why he was left behind, and what he is doing in the Realm of Shadow in the first place. Here are six details about Messmer revealed in the DLC that players may not have noticed.
6 Messmer Is A Child Of 'One' God
Queen Marika And Radagon Are One And The Same
One of many hidden pieces of information in the base game, Queen Marika and Radagon both left their consorts to marry each other. However, Radagon is another version of Marika and is described as her 'other self'. This was a secret, but their union led to the birth of Miquella and Malenia, both born cursed. Miquella was cursed with eternal childhood. Malenia was cursed with the Scarlet Rot, slowly taking hold of her and spreading to those around her.
Messmer is also a child of Marika and Radagon. Naturally, he was also born cursed, for the same reason as his siblings. Messmer was born with another god lurking within him - the Abyssal Serpent - who posed a real threat to Marika's reign.
5 His Mother Sealed Away His Curse
To Keep Messmer From Being Overtaken By The Curse, Marika Sealed It Within Him
To save Messmer from being consumed by the snake inside him, and to save herself from a possible challenger to her reign, Marika had to seal the curse within her son. Queen Marika did this by removing his right eye and replacing it with a seal that would contain the Abyssal Serpent.
The relic that is used, an object to keep the Abyssal Serpent, is made of Grace. This implies that whatever is within Messmer is a contradiction of the Erdtree's light, and Queen Marika was right to fear this power.
4 Acted As An Older Brother To Radahn
Referenced As A Mentor And Caring Sibling For The Starscourge
In the item description for one of the Remembrances that is dropped by a powerful (spoilerific) boss in the new DLC, fans are given an insight into Messmer's relationship with one of his half-siblings. Despite possibly not being aware of his relation to Radahn, Messmer acted as an elder brother to 'the Lion', who players will know as Radahn, one of the most epic boss fights in the whole of Elden Ring.
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This connection ties Messmer to the characters of the main game and ensures he is not fully relegated to existing only in the DLC. It also allows fans to piecetogether a timeline: Messmer is older than Radahn, which could mean that there are offspring of Marika and Radagon who were born before the Golden Lineage.
3 Queen Marika Sent Him To Wipe Out Those Without Grace
Messmer Leads A Secret Purge In The Realm Of Shadow
The Realm of Shadow is the place of Marika's origin. Her people were ruled over by an ancient race, the Hornsent, who worshiped the Crucible and nearly wiped out Marika's kind, continually torturing them. With the Erdtree and the introduction of Grace, the Hornsent continued to refuse Marika, and so they were without Grace.
So, Queen Marika sent her cursed son Messmer into the Realm Of Shadow to purge the Hornsent. This brutal order meant wiping out the entire population of Hornsent, and earned Messmer the title 'the Impaler' for his violent and zealous attacks on an entire race.
2 His General, And Friend, Is Cursed Too
General Gaius Forged A Friendship With Messmer Because Of His Genetics
One of the many tricky bosses featured in the Shadow Of The Erdtree DLC, Commander Gaius rides into battle atop a Wild Boar and slashes at players with brutal swings of his Sword Lance. This warrior was a close friend of Messmer though, as an item description reveals to the most eagle-eyed fans.
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While Messmer was cursed with the constant presence of a malicious god, Gaius is an Albinauric. These beings were created by man, and although they become more and more human-like with each generation, they are doomed to eventually lose the use of their legs and later fade into weakness and death. Gaius and Messmer bonded over their mutual inevitable doom and this led to Gaius becoming Messmer's closest general, despite needing to remain mounted as his legs grew weak, an interesting inversion of Radahn's relationship to his horse.
1 He Was Betrayed
After Everything, Messmer Is Still A Secret
Despite doing the dirty work for his mother by wiping out a whole race of beings, after an untold amount of time, Marika's motives changed. Perhaps she realized what she had done, or realized how terribly it would reflect on the 'perfection' promised by the Erdtree's Grace. Whatever her reasons, Marika decided to hide the Realm of Shadow within the shadow of the Erdtree itself, the Scadutree.
She left Messmer to continue her work in a realm that cannot be accessed or escaped and ended all contact with him. Messmer is surprised when a Tarnished makes their way into the Realm of Shadow, but his orders are to defeat any without Grace, which unfortunately includes the player. However, when he is finally killed, Messmer realizes that he has been betrayed and left alone, and curses his mother.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
- Released
- June 21, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- FromSoftware
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
