Few characters in Elden Ring have happy endings, but in-game lore can be convoluted, meaning it might not be too clear to Tarnished as to why Fia kills D in the Roundtable Hold. FromSoftware’s Soulslike games feature questlines that usually end with the quest giver dying. Sometimes this ending is lore accurate, with Dark Souls featuring characters fading away or killing themselves once their tasks are complete. However, others have their journeys cut short by enemies and bosses, as with D in Elden Ring. However, once players discover the intricacies of each character’s backstory and goals, this murder becomes an unavoidable outcome.
[Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Elden Ring.]
Elden Ring takes place in the Lands Between, which has been torn apart by the Shattering. Players control a Tarnished character that rises from the dead to become Elden Lord and restore order to the kingdom. However, they are not the only Tarnished character within the open world. Players can meet other NPCs and rest with other Tarnished at the Roundtable Hold. Those seeking the Elden Lord title rest at the sanctuary, where violence is prohibited. Unfortunately, that doesn’t stop Fia from killing D in and fleeing the scene shortly after.
Elden Ring‘s D, Fia, and Rogier all provide steps for questlines that intersect with one another. Players must accomplish numerous steps and slay dozens of bosses and enemies before witnessing the fateful murder. After players return an item called ‘Weathered Dagger’ to D, a new area in Roundtable Hold opens to reveal Fia standing over D’s body. While Fia gives a brief speech about her betrayal and loyalties, her intentions are slightly unclear for those unaware of in-game lore. Both Elden Ring characters shared conflicting goals, but D’s murder hints at increasing tensions throughout the Lands Between and a deeper need for the next Elden Lord to claim their place. Thankfully, several signs point toward Fia’s intention for killing due to ideological differences and (possible) mutual aggression. The sheer number of competing authorities in the Lands Between all contribute to this simple murder that may affect some Tarnished more than others.
D, Hunter Of The Dead Serves Elden Ring’s Golden Order
Elden Ring‘s Golden Order desires to return the Lands Between to the Great Will’s side. Queen Marika, the former ruler, is responsible for shattering the Elden Ring after the deaths of her demigod children. Although she and her husband eventually suffered imprisonment within the Erdtree, Marika had already irreversibly damaged the kingdom. Elden Ring‘s opening cinematic shows that Godwyn the Golden’s death plunged the Lands Between into chaos. However, Godwyn’s murderers are an order known as the Black Knife Assassins, who use weapons imbued with the Death Rune to destroy the Lands Between’s current order. Undead became corrupted with the Cursemark of Death, bringing loyalists like D to hunt them down.
Elden Ring‘s open-world design hides many secrets, but D, Hunter of the Dead is relatively simple to find. Additionally, his dialogue is more straightforward than other Tarnished and NPCs lurking worldwide. He hunts an order of undead bearing a corrupting cursemark that appears to be afflicting Tarnished throughout the Lands Between. While he seems to be a noble knight archetype, his intolerance for those he deems impure stretches beyond contempt and is borderline malicious. His separation from his former hunting partner, Rogier, fills the Roundtable Hold with tension and emphasizes the disconnect between different ideologies in Elden Ring‘s open world. This disconnect, prejudice, and inability to move past the former order results in D’s death at the hands of Fia.
Fia Serves Elden Ring’s Prince Of Death And Suffers Persecution
Fia is one of the first characters players can encounter in Elden Ring‘s Roundtable Hold, who offers to hold the player character in her arms. Unfortunately, this caring act bestows a curse on players’ Vigor (health) that Tarnished can only regain after consuming the Baldachin’s Blessing in their inventory. Like many Tarnished in Roundtable Hold, Fia holds loyalty beyond the Two Fingers and other warriors seeking to become Elden Lord. Fia serves the Prince of Death, Godwyn, as a deathbed companion and holds a great affinity for a sect of undead called ‘Those Who Live In Death’ due to their persecution. Fia’s duty as a deathbed companion ensures her assistance in most compassionate matters, including defending her fellow undead and Elden Ring‘s Tarnished characters.
Due to her allegiance, Fia likely came under threat from D, Hunter of the Dead. Another merchant at Elden Ring‘s Roundtable Hold, Sorcerer Rogier, states that he once hunted undead alongside D long ago. However, he discovered that the undead they hunted couldn’t control their affliction and required mercy rather than extermination. Unfortunately, D couldn’t adopt this mindset, leading to their separation. Since D is likely still hunting Those Who Live In Death, it’s possible Fia killed him to prevent being killed herself or to save her fellow undead. Gifting the player character the Weathered Dagger may have been a plot to infect D with the cursemark, as D’s corpse is shown growing deathroot when players arrive.
Neither D Nor Fia Are Fully Innocent In Elden Ring
Like most quest NPCs in Elden Ring, both Fia and D have ulterior motives and serve their own masters. Fia serves the Prince of Death, and D pledges allegiance to the Golden Order and Beast Clergyman, but both follow a flawed ideology that results in death and destruction throughout the Lands Between. Fia’s murder of D violates a sacred law in Roundtable Hold, as no Tarnished are permitted to draw their blades in the sanctuary. Additionally, her crime does not go unpunished, as players can give D’s twin brother his armor, which results in her swift execution later in the game. Tarnished that pursue Fia, D and Rogier’s quests to the end are doomed to see this conflict play out in a murderous cycle. However, its results can help players decide how to rule the Lands Between.
Like most FromSoftware games, Elden Ring has multiple endings that players can unlock depending on defeated bosses and the questlines they complete. Fia and D, Hunter of the Dead are representative of two fates the inhabitants of the Lands Between could experience once players complete the main campaign. In the first playthrough, the moral consequences of FromSoftware game endings can be difficult to determine. However, Elden Ring allows players to choose the best (imperfect) resolution as they learn various NPCs’ personalities, intentions, and goals. Fia and D’s conflict and murder are perfect examples of unavoidable consequences that can shape many save files, but provide little satisfaction for each character’s ending.