A cut Elden Ring questline involving the nomadic merchant Kalé would have revealed dark secrets about the Three Fingers and Frenzied Flame.
The merchant Kalé, a minor NPC that players can encounter early in Elden Ring, could have revealed the Lands Between’s darkest secrets in a cut questline. FromSoftware’s epic fantasy RPG features a wide range of supporting characters for players to meet, ranging from fellow Tarnished to more bizarre fantasy creatures. The title’s nomadic race of merchants can be a godsend on the player’s quest to become Elden Lord, with Kalé appearing as a noteworthy example right when players step into the game’s open world. However, a cut Elden Ring Kalé quest would have given the friendly salesman a much more important role in the story.
During their lengthy journey through the Lands Between, Elden Ring players will encounter a variety of nomadic merchants who sell certain goods. The first merchant that the Tarnished will likely meet is Kalé, a friendly salesman who resides in the Church of Elleh. Upon meeting him Merchant Kalé will sell useful items like armor, crafting cookbooks and notes that provide hints about certain areas or mechanics. The helpful figure will also provide basic information about his nomadic race, the Lands Between and how to initiate Blaidd’s questline. Prior to the game’s release many Elden Ring players encountered Merchant Kalé in the game’s closed network test, with his manner of dress and role as a salesman motivating comparisons to Santa Claus.
While Kalé’s role in Elden Ring is minimal, a lengthy cut questline would have given the dedicated capitalist a much greater impact on the narrative. According to data miners, the storyline would have seen Kalé embark on a journey to locate the Great Caravan that his people once called home. The merchant would leave the Church of Elleh to travel all across the Lands Between, with his search eventually landing him in the Subterranean Shunning-Grounds beneath Leyndell where the Three Fingers reside. While Melina typically advises the Tarnished protagonist to resist joining the Three Fingers and possessing the Frenzied Flame, Kalé’s cut questline would have put an entirely new perspective on this scenario.
What The Cut Elden Ring Quest Reveals About Merchant Kalé
Kalé’s cut questline reveals clever details about the Elden Ring merchant that are otherwise absent from the game itself. While he seems to be a carefree salesman in the base game, the questline paints Kalé as somebody who desires to learn about his roots and the origins of his people. His nomadic tribe is untethered by nature, but Kalé is consumed with a desire to learn where he came from and where his destiny will take him. His journey across the Lands Between also paints him in a more adventurous light, which contrasts with his sedentary lifestyle in the Church of Elleh that Elden Ring typically portrays.
Upon reaching the Subterranean Shunning-Grounds and the end of his questline, Kalé’s carefree personality takes a very dark turn. The merchant learns that his people were intentionally alive beneath the capital of Leyndell, because they were suspected of worshiping Elden Ring‘s Three Fingers and Frenzied Flame infliction. While he denies that his people were associated with the bizarre deity, Kalé declares that he will never forgive the people of the Lands Between for their actions. He refuses to trade with the player again, and wishes to use the Frenzied Flame to destroy the Golden Order and burn away the Great Caravan’s suffering.
Elden Ring’s Grand Caravan Is Finally Found By Kalé
While Kalé himself is greatly developed through his cut questline, much is also revealed about his nomadic merchant clan. In Elden Ring proper little is revealed about the group except that it conforms to a nomadic culture and was relatively unaffected by the Shattering of the Elden Ring. Kalé’s people are “spurned by the grace of gold“and thus often take the role of merchants that sell valuable goods at a fair price. Other than Kalé, the traveling merchants in Elden Ring rarely share their names, though they do set themselves apart through accessories like bird feathers in their hats. They are also a peaceful people, which makes their fate even more tragic (though they will defend themselves with Frenzied Flame magic when threatened).
Kalé’s cut questline in Elden Ring reveals the sad fate of the Grand Caravan. The roaming society eventually reached the capital city of Leyndell, where it found itself in the Subterranean Shunning-Grounds where the Three Fingers reside. The Golden Order blamed the nomadic race for spreading the Frenzied Flame, and so the entire Grand Caravan was buried underground and left to rot. By the time players reach the underground area most of Kalé’s people are long dead, though some still live in a state of apparent madness within the realm of the Three Fingers and Elden Ring‘s Frenzied Flame.
The Three Fingers Play A Key Role In Kalé’s Fate
Kalé’s final discovery at the end of his questline, and being the ultimate responsible for the destruction of the Great Caravan, is the Three Fingers. Throughout the early hours of Elden Ring players become acquainted with the Two Fingers, a strange being that resides in the Roundtable Hold and controls the Golden Order. While players are expected to remain loyal to the Two Fingers, discovering and siding with the Three Fingers unlocks an alternate ending to the game where players can resist sacrificing Melina to burn open the Erdtree. The Three Fingers instead give players control of the Frenzied Flame, which is also powerful enough to set the Erdtree alight and open its inner passages.
Kalé’s cut questline reveals more information about the story and lore of Elden Ring‘s Three Fingers, like how the people of Leyndell buried it in an attempt to contain the Frenzied Flame. When the merchant sees that the player has embodied the flame of frenzy, he seeks to obtain that power for himself. Kalé claims that the Frenzied Flame can “melt away the curses, suffering and despair“of his people while also destroying the Golden Order. However, when he does access the Three Fingers Kalé is merely burned by the flame, suggesting that the frenzied energy requires a particularly suitable host.
While Kalé is one of Elden Ring’s least integral characters, he could have had a massive impact on the game through his cut questline. The roaming merchant’s journey would have taken him into the very heart of the Lands Between, facilitating the player’s meeting with the Three Fingers. His story also would have shed more light on the Great Caravan, which is only mentioned in passing in the base game. By appearing all across the open world, Kalé could have been just as important as other Elden Ring NPCs like Ranni or Gideon Ofnir rather than serving as a mere vendor.
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