Limgrave

Starting in Limgrave, we have a lush, green region that seems relatively normal at first glance. There is little evidence of war and it generally features little culture. Enemies wander in a seeming limbo, they pray to a raging dragon, and are generally stuck in a sort of stasis. But what does stand out is that Limgrave features a number of huge ruins that leave a strong impression of awe for any new player. They sit in orientations that seem unnatural, and their architecture strongly suggests they originate from somewhere else entirely. Indeed, they are covered in ruin fragments, which state they are “found near places where ruins have fallen from the sky”. They “are believed to have once been part of a temple in the sky”.

The only city of the sky that is presently known is Farum Azula, which is now in a perpetually crumbling state beyond time, in the far east of the map. There are a couple of complications that feel important here, that the ruin pieces are very far from the current location of the flying city, and that while the architecture is highly similar both in style and scale between these ruin pieces and the crumbling city, they do differ. One of the key details throughout the dragon city is the presence of beasts - not only as chosen guards but they are also literally embedded into the buildings themselves. However, according to the Azula Beastmen Ashes, the ruins of Farum Azula are “said to be the remains of a giant mausoleum enshrining an ancient dragon”. Thus, it may be the case that not all dragon city architecture would feature beasts in this crypt-like style. There could therefore have been other areas of the city that dropped these ruins, or even other flying cities which did not have the same beast incorporation within the brickwork.

We will look at this idea more closely later. Limgrave as a whole provides a fantastic learning ground for a new player, as it manages to have the highest density of mini-dungeons like caves, catacombs, or mines while still staying relatively calm and open. We think this highlights that while, currently, the place features little culture at all, long ago the region must once thrived as a hive of activity, and that at some point this prosperity was lost. Given the lack of evidence of war here, other than the rebellion at Castle Mourne, this was likely lost a long time ago. Could the gigantic pillars we see hint at some previous civilization that existed here? Perhaps the desolation of culture is from the Storm Lord’s defeat at the hands of Godfrey. Or maybe it's a natural result due to being the farthest area from the Erdtree during its reign, and receiving the least of its bounty. After all, the people of the Altus Plateau believe that “those born at the foot of the Erdtree are blessed.” Whatever the case may be, Limgrave highlights the lack of recent large-scale activity, and this is very important when we take into account the fact that we, a Tarnished who has only recently been returned their grace and beckoned to the Lands Between, arises here, of all places.