Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Case Study No. 1756: Seath the Scaleless

The Treacherous Scholar - Dark Souls Lore: Seath the Scaleless
11:57
The Treacherous Scholar - Dark Souls Lore: Seath the Scaleless

Let me know what you guys think in the comments below! I'd love to hear your thoughts on Seath the Scaleless, and what you believe his ties to Ash Lake are.

Make sure to check out TerraMantis and and Silver Mont's Seath videos when they're complete. I'll like to them below when they're complete!
Silver Mont's Dark Souls Lore: Seath the Scaleless:
http://you tu.be/e44sWlekzdQ

Ballers in the Dark Souls Lore community you should check out:
MSPainting: http://www.red dit.com/user/MSpainting/
John Quick: @NowQuick
EpicNameBro: https://www.you tube.com/user/EpicNameBro
VaatiVidya: https://www.you tube.com/user/VaatiVidya
Quelaag: https://www.you tube.com/user/Quelaag
TerraMantis: https://www.you tube.com/user/TerraMantis

Polish subtitles provided by: Dawid J?drzejko
Tags: Dark Souls Lore Dark Souls Lore Seath Seath the Scaleless Lore Seath Lore Dark Souls Lore Seath the Scaleless Dark Souls Seath Seath Seath the Scaleless Dark Souls Lore Souls Lore
Added: 1 year ago
From: DaveControlLive
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[scene opens with a still image of Seath the Scaleless from the game "Dark Souls"]
DAVE: [in voice over] What's up guys, I'm Dave Klein, and welcome back to my Dark Souls Lore series. Today, we're gonna talk about Seath the Scaleless.
[camera zooms in on the image]
DAVE: [in voice over] As the betrayer of the dragons and the godfather of sorcery, he's actually quite the influential character. So, let's get started.
[cut to a cut scene from the game]
NARRATOR: And Seath the Scaleless betrayed his own ... and the dragons were no more.
[cut to more footage from the game, as "A land of grey crags, archtrees, and everlasting dragons" appears on screen]
DAVE: [in voice over] In the beginning, before the lords fought the dragons, there was one dragon in particular who was an outcast ... Seath.
[cut to more footage from the game]
DAVE: [in voice over] Seath was born without the stone scales of the everlasting dragons, and as a result, it would seem lacked the immortality of the dragons.
[cut to more footage from the game, as "With the Strength of Lords, they challenged the dragons" appears on screen]
DAVE: [in voice over] Either out of jealousy, or simply the lust for immortality, when Gwyn presented Seath the opportunity to betray his kin, he did so, and it would seem in order to gain the Primordial crystal.
[cut to footage of the player talking to Big Hat Logan in the Duke's Archives]
BIG HAT LOGAN: Ah, the secret of Seath's immortality? It is an effect of the Primordial Crystal, a sacred treasure pillaged by Seath when he turned upon the ancient dragons.
[cut to footage of the player's inventory]
DAVE: [in voice over] We know, due to Seath's bequeathed Lord Souls, that "Seath allied with Lord Gwyn and turned upon the dragons, and for this he was awarded Dukedom, embraced by the royalty, and given a fragment of a great soul."
[cut to more footage from the game]
DAVE: [in voice over] In being awarded Dukedom, Seath created a royal archive of knowledge, where he would retreat in order to study the soul and immortality. His studies and attempts at understanding this led to several major influences throughout Lordan and the surrounding lands.
[cut back to footage of the player's inventory]
DAVE: [in voice over] We learn from the Homing Crystal Soulmass that "The mysteries of souls, crystals, and the sorceries are deeply intertwined."
[cut to more footage from the game]
DAVE: [in voice over] If souls, crystals, and the sorceries are deeply intertwined, it's interesting, then, that it is a primoridial crystal that grants Seath his immortality. So, if Seath was studying the primoridial crystal, this is what would eventually allow him to discover and grandfather in sorcery.
[cut to footage of the player battling Seath]
DAVE: [in voice over] For cutting off Seath's tail, players will receive the Moonlight Sword, which tells us ...
[cut back to footage of the player's inventory]
DAVE: [in voice over] "Seath is the grandfather of sorcery, and this sword is imbued with his magic, which shall be unleashed as a wave of moonlight."
[cut to more footage from the game]
DAVE: [in voice over] As crystals and sorcery are intertwined, Seath is known for both.
[cut back to footage of the player's inventory]
DAVE: [in voice over] The Crystal Ember, found in the Duke's Archives, is known as a "Crystal ember created by Seath the Scaleless."
[cut to more footage from the game]
DAVE: [in voice over] Additionally, the most advanced sorceries are crystal sorceries, discovered by Big Hat Logan only after arriving at the Duke's Archives.
[cut back to footage from the player's inventory]
DAVE: [in voice over] Also linking advanced sorceries to Seath is the Large Magic Ember ... "The large magic ember, a form of sorcery. Handled only by the Vinheim Blacksmiths."
[cut to more footage from the game]
DAVE: [in voice over] Can be found in Seath's study, only after defeating Seath.
[cut back to footage from the player's inventory]
DAVE: [in voice over] The sorcery "Soul Arrow" tells us "Soul arrows inflict magic damage, making them effective against iron armor, tough scales, and other physcially resilient materials." The interesting bit of information here is that Soul Arrow is effective against tough scales, and it would seem possible the stronger variations of Soul Arrow were developed by Seath in order to fight against the dragons.
[cut to more footage from the game]
DAVE: [in voice over] And yet, Soul Arrow and many sorceries are taught in the Vinheim Dragon School, a school that is known for teaching sorcery.
[cut back to footage from the player's inventory]
DAVE: [in voice over] On top of that, Seath's Large Magic Ember can be "handled only by the Vinheim blacksmiths".
[cut to more footage from the game]
DAVE: [in voice over] I believe it is very likely Seath is the influence for this school, and whom the school is named after. When looking at the outlaying lands, it seems that many been influenced by the reign of Gwyn, and the only dragon who would have a positive light on them would be Gwyn's duke, Seath the Scaleless. Furthermore, Seath, as the Godfather of Sorcery, would be revered by those who study the art, and we see this quite clearly in Big Hat Logan, who has made it his mission in undeath to seek out Seath and the Regal Archives. And besides, what other dragons do we know of who use sorcery? None.
[cut to more footage from the game]
DAVE: [in voice over] While Seath did usher in an understanding of sorcery and its relation to souls and crystal, some of his methods were frowned upon.
BIG HAT LOGAN: A great pool of knowledge, the fruits of superior wisdom and an unquenchable desire for the truth. Some would say Seath had an unsound fixation ... But his work is a beautiful, invaluable resource. All progress demands sacrifice. And I certainly hear no antipathy for that wonderful scaleless beast.
[cut to more footage from the game]
DAVE: [in voice over] "All progress demands sacrifice" ... In order to test out his theories, Seath began to gather various maidens and humans throughout the land, and began to experiment on them. He sent out Channelers in order to obtain and capture these maidens.
[cut back to footage from the player's inventory]
DAVE: [in voice over] The Channelers, being described as "sorcerers that serve Seath the Scaleless. Even after the onset of Seath's madness, the 'snatchers' as they were often called, ventured to far lands to find suitable human specimens."
[cut to more footage from the game]
DAVE: [in voice over] We can witness this ourselves, as when Rhea of Thoruland begins praying in the Undead Church, right in the eyesights of a Channeler, she will eventually be "snatched" and taken to the Duke's Archives.
[cut back to footage from the player's inventory]
DAVE: [in voice over] The Archive Tower Giant Cell Key tells us "the giant cell once imprisoned countless maidens, but is now empty, save for a few key persons. They struggle to uphold their sanity, as the horde of 'mistakes' writhe at a fearfully close proximity."
[cut to more footage from the game]
DAVE: [in voice over] These "mistakes" being the Picasas ... The Maiden Set can be found in the Archive Tower, and it would seem some of these weren't just any maidens. When fighting the Picasas, two will remaining crying in the back, and will never agro against you, even after being attacked. Upon killing them, they drop the miracles Soothing Sunlight and Bountiful Sunlight.
[cut back to footage from the player's inventory]
DAVE: [in voice over] These are "the miracles of Gwynevere, the princess cherished by all."
[cut to more footage from the game]
DAVE: [in voice over] It is clear that these two, in particular, were hand-maidens of Gwynevere.
[cut to more footage from the game]
DAVE: [in voice over] Now, as a side note, the Archive Tower where the maidens and prisoners were kept, also contains a bonfire that traps undead inside of a cell. Within the Archive Tower Giant Cell, players can find a Fire Keeper Soul.
[cut back to footage from the player's inventory]
DAVE: [in voice over] I believe, in his knowledge of how Undeath works, Seath captured a Fire Keeper in order to create a bonfire in his prison, allowing him to capture the undead, and thus the reasoning for both.
[cut to more footage from the game]
DAVE: [in voice over] In experimenting on the maidens, Seath created the Picasas as a mistake, who interestingly have tails that look very similar to Seath's.
[cut to more footage from the game]
DAVE: [in voice over] When venturing into the Crystal Forest, players can find more of Seath's creations. The Crystal Golems, and a walking manifestation of the crystals Seath has discovered, help the Channelers capture maidens. We find one in the Crystal Forest itself, with Siegliende captured inside one of its giant crystals. In the Darkroot Basin, another Crystal Golem can be found having captured Dusk of Oolacile. Yet another creation can be found in the Moonlight Butterflies.
[cut back to footage from the player's inventory]
DAVE: [in voice over] The soul of the Moonlight Butterfly is described as the "soul of the mystical Moonlight Butterfly, which flitters in the Darkroot Garden. Special beings have special souls. The butterfly's soul is a creation of Seath the Scaleless."
[cut to more footage from the game]
DAVE: [in voice over] But why is the Moonlight Butterfly in Darkroot Basin? As well as the Crystal Golems? While both the Crystal Ember and Large Magic Ember are found in the Duke's Archives, the Enchanted Ember is found in Darkroot Garden.
[cut back to footage from the player's inventory]
DAVE: [in voice over] The Enchanted Ember being "a form of sorcery," and "a vestige of the lost land of Oolacile."
[cut to more footage from the game]
DAVE: [in voice over] I believe it all has to do with Oolacile. The vast majority of the sorceries in the game not found from Vinheim or Seath, are found from Oolacile.
[cut back to footage from the player's inventory]
DAVE: [in voice over] Spells such as Cast Light are described as "ancient sorcery of the lost land of Oolacile. This light-producing sorcery is elementary but nonetheless demonstrates the achievements in mysticism of Oolacile. Such magic has not been developed even in Vinheim."
[cut to footage of a princess speaking to the player]
DUSK: My home, Oolacile, is the home of ancient sorceries. The sorceries of Oolacile differ from the magic of thine age. It is difficult to explain ... Oolacile sorceries are, what doth one say? They are somewhat--
[she laughs]
DUSK: Of an approximation. Thine sorceries are more straightforward, negating all but thy self ... Dost thou not find some fascination in these discrepancies?
[cut to more footage from the game]
DAVE: [in voice over] I believe that Seath finds a fascination with these discrepancies, and he has sent his creations to the former land of Oolacile to gather what knowledge they can to bring back to him, so he can study the sorceries created by Oolacile. If players have downloaded the DLC, yet a further connection exists in the Broken Pendant, which can be found by killing the Crystal Golem in the Duke's Archives.
[cut back to footage from the player's inventory]
DAVE: [in voice over] This broken pendant's "vine appears to originate from Oolacile," and is used by players to return back to Oolacile in the DLC.
[cut to more footage from the game]
DAVE: [in voice over] But, in the end, Seath went mad.
[cut back to footage from the player's inventory]
DAVE: [in voice over] According to the Archive Tower Cell Key ... "The Archive Tower, once a trove of precious tomes and letters, became a prison after the onset of Seath's madness".
[cut to more footage from the game]
DAVE: [in voice over] While it's never explicitly explained why Seath went mad, I believe it's a commentary on knowing too much, and going too far. The idea that there are some things beyond human comprehension, and we were never meant to understand.
[the screen fades to black]
DAVE: [in voice over] Some things to think about ...
[cut to more footage from the game]
DAVE: [in voice over] Seath also had his enemies. Havel the Rock made it his mission in life to destroy Seath.
[cut back to footage from the player's inventory]
DAVE: [in voice over] According to the miracle Great Magic Barrier ... "Havel the Rock, an old battlefield compatriot of Lord Gwyn, was the sworn enemy of Seath the Scaleless. He despised magic, and made certain to devise means of counteraction."
[cut to more footage from the game]
DAVE: [in voice over] It's never clear why Havel despised magic, but do you believe there was any reason in particular? Could it have had anything to do with Seath's methods of experimenting on maidens? It would seem Havel visited Ash Lake, as his Great Magic Barrier can be found there, and he wields the Dragon Tooth, so maybe his hatred of Seath began after his trip to Ash Lake and discovering the ancient dragon?
[cut to more footage from the game]
DAVE: [in voice over] Another oddity with Seath is in his relation to Ash Lake. The Purging Stone bearing clams from Ash Lake can also be found right in front of Seath's lair. Additionally, the only two locations of Hydras in the game are in Ash Lake and the Darkroot Basin, where the Hydra is surrounded by Crystal Golems and near Seath's Moonlight Butterfly. Perhaps Seath brought these creatures with him in order to study or utilize. As it would seem Havel visited Ash Lake, perhaps Seath actually brought the clams and Hydra down there in order to prevent more Undead from discovering the ancient dragon. Or perhaps, there is no real correlation. What do you guys think?
[cut back to the still image of Seath from the beginning]
DAVE: [in voice over] One final bonus note about Seath, for those of you who don't know ...
[cut to footage from the "King's Field" video games]
DAVE: [in voice over] Seath is actually a re-occurring character in From Software's games. The ancient dragon had a major role in From Software's first foray into video games, the "King's Field" series, as the white dragon god who warred against Guyra, the black dragon god. Seath's weakness was Guyra's weapon, the Moonlight Sword, and the Moonlight Sword is used in Japan's "King's Field III" in order to slay the final boss of the Playstation franchise ... Seath.
[cut back to the still image of Seath]
DAVE: [in voice over] Alright guys, that's gonna rap up this Dark Souls Lore video. As always, let me know what you guys think in the comments, and what you think the Ash Lake correlation to Seath is. I'd like to give props to MSPainting, John Quick, and TerraMantis on helping me with some details, and I know both TerraMantis and Silver Mont are working on Seath videos as well, so definitely support them both, and check out their versions of Seath's lore when they're complete. Alright, I'll see you guys next time, peace.

---

From wikidot.com:

Seath the Scaleless is a boss in the game Dark Souls, and the archivist/librarian to The Duke's Archives.

Lore
The albino dragon, Seath the Scaleless, betrayed his own by aiding Gwyn, Lord of Sunlight, during the war with the Everlasting Dragons. He acquired the Primordial Crystal; a sacred treasure pillaged when he turned on the ancient dragons, granting him immortality and making him a "true Undead." Gwyn awarded Seath with Dukedom for his role during the war and gave him a fragment of a Lord Soul.

During his time as Duke, Seath became obsessed with his experiments and research, amassing countless tomes and was eventually driven mad. The Channelers, sorcerers under Seath's command, traveled to far lands in order to acquire more specimens. Amongst those captured were maidens. Many "mistakes" resulted in the process of Seath's experiments.

The six eyes of the Channelers compensated for Seath's lack of sight. Crystal Soldiers populate the fortress, as well as a few Serpent Soldiers to help guard the prison.

Seath is said to be the grandfather of Sorcery and is the object of the infamous sorcerer, Logan's, obsession. Seath's creations include the Pisaca, Moonlight Butterfly, and Crystal Ember.

Notes
* When first encountered in The Duke's Archives, he is invincible due to the Primordial Crystal. He inevitably kills the player. Loss of souls and humanity can be avoided by wearing a Ring of Sacrifice, but if he kills the player through curse, then a Rare Ring of Sacrifice is needed to avoid penalties. In addition, it is possible to travel back through the fog door to avoid being killed by Seath, however, the player must return at a later time and accept death in order to progress, however much the player attacks or tank him.
* When trying to obtain the Moonlight Greatsword it is best to attack the tip of the tail, as the area around midway through the tail is considered his body. Thus dealing damage to this area will not help in acquiring the Moonlight Greatsword.

Strategies
Staying at his side makes it easier to stay out of the area-of-effect of his breath attacks, and he won't be able to hit with his claws or tail as easily.

It is also possible to use only a bow against Seath with great success. Get a good distance away from him and it is possible to get 4-5 shots in before he gets too close. The only real danger in this strategy is when running past Seath to gain some distance.

His only long range specific attack is the far curse beam. That means if players stay at a distance, one can lure him to fire the beam and charge his defenseless body.

Crystal curse explosion triggers when the player cannot be reached by any of Seath's other attacks; usually when situated behind Seath with the tails just out of reach. One strategy is to begin sprinting a good distance away from him once he arches forward to charge a ball of magic. A second approach would be to develop a high enough curse resistance and block some of the erupting crystals. Immediately heal the damage received before he executes his tail swipes/slams.

A good strategy for acquiring the Moonlight Greatsword is when Seath himself breaks the Primordial Crystal. Wait behind the crystal until Seath starts to rear up his head for any of the Curse Beam attacks. Just before he fires it, start sprinting left or right around the sides and towards his tail. Seath will break the crystal and stun himself, giving the player ample opportunity to attack his tail three to four times. Make sure Seath's tail isn't clipping in the wall before trying.

Also keep in mind that Seath has almost three times the resistance to Magic as he has to, say fire or Lightning. Therefore Sorcery, Enchanted, and Magic weapons do less damage. A maximized Pyromancy Flame with either Combustion or Great Combustion will burn off the tail in one to three hits, as well as giving the player better control of where to hit the tail.

---

From wikia.com:

"The Archive Tower, once a trove of precious tomes and letters, became a prison after the onset of Seath's madness. The serpent men who guard the prison know not the value of what they hide..."
- Archive Tower Cell Key

The Duke's Archives is a location in Dark Souls. It can be reached via a path near the first bonfire in Anor Londo after the Lordvessel has been placed.

Description
The Duke's Archives is a massive library fortress located in Anor Londo. It contains vast amounts of knowledge including many spells and magical relics. Here, players can learn powerful crystal spells, as well as obtain crystal and magic embers, and weapons.

Lore
The library is home to Seath the Scaleless, and was granted to Seath by Gwyn, along with a Bequeathed Lord Soul Shard, as a reward for aiding in the birth of the Age of Fire. It is here that Seath delves into his experiments and studies. The Six-Eyed Channelers found here are servants of Seath, seeking and kidnapping inhabitants of Lordran for his research. The Pisaca are among the results of these experiments.

Strategy
Almost all of the enemies here have very high magic resistance, and can also deal very high damage. On top of that, the layout of the level means that oftentimes there will be enemies that the player cannot reach immediately. In summary, it is a good idea to keep moving and not use sorceries or magic-based weapons.

---

From ign.com:

Seath The Scaleless is found in two locations. The first is within the Dukes Archives. This battle is fixed, thus the player can not win. The second location is deep within the Crystal Caves.

Seath The Scaleless is oddly one of the easiest fights in the game. Upon entering the battlefield the player must run to the back and slash at Seaths crystal heart. One swing will shatter it and make the boss killable. If the player tries attacking Seath without killing this first, he will simply regenerate all his health.

Upon breaking the heart, run up to Seath. Long range battles will be hard due to his crystal wave attack. Not only does it hurt, it inflicts curse if you're hit too many times. Seath has three tails, a large one in the middle and two smaller side ones. Pick one of these side tails and stick to it. In this area Seath will miss you 90% of the time. He has a few attacks that may catch the player, but shrugging them off should be no issue.

After a few seconds Seath will try to back away from the player. It is important to stick to the tail or else the player runs the risk of being hit and turned to crystal. Always follow the tail and stay as close as possible.

Being a dragon, Seath is weak to lightning. Use this on your weapon if possible, or if you have lightning based magic, fire it straight into Seath for heavy damage. It is also possible to cut off his center tail to recieve the Moonlight Greatsword. This is very hard. If the player is near that tail Seath unleashes a heavy ground attack that makes cutting it off very difficult.

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