There are stories, within the videogame story and its lore, that nobody tells, or listens to, like that of Solaire in the first unparalleled Dark Souls.
Stories of people or characters who are silent, but who are there and who, probably, the world you are venturing into, have somehow changed it.
This space intends to give a minimum of prominence to these stories, to make them known, because knowing them, some games will be more beautiful and complete: today it is the turn, as we said, of Solaire of Astora.
Talk about the characters of the saga Dark Souls, splendid idea born from the mind of the controversially loved and hated Hidetaka Miyazaki, it is never simple; the whole game world is told spontaneously and silently by the gestures of its inhabitants, by the locations and by the descriptions.
But it is able to give beautiful and touching stories, those you would like to tell your girlfriend too, if it weren't for you.
The one of Astora solar is one of the most beautiful, sad and iconic of the entire saga.
That time you met the Sun Warrior
After the harassment suffered around that nice playground called Village of the undead, basically the place where you really learn what suffering is, especially if you are new to Dark souls, it doesn't seem true that someone has no interest in slaughtering you.
The first time you meet him, you find him on a balcony, fixed in his splendid armor which he himself decorated, intent on admiring the sun rising over the splendid glimpse offered by Lordran that, at that moment, doesn't even seem so threatening to you.
He notices you, you are in a cold sweat for a moment, but its warmth encourages you and restores some soul.
He begins by introducing himself as Astora solar, a faithful of the Sun, finally succeeded in his intent to become an Undead in order to arrive in the Great Earth that gave the origins to Lord Gwyn (Lord of the Sun), in order to carry out his very personal search for the Sun.
It seems a bit touched to you, but it has a certain basic positivity that clamorously clashes with the world around you, it explains to you that time is distorted and that warriors can move within time cycles; he even offers you his help because, in a land populated exclusively by empty beings, your meeting cannot be a mere coincidence.
And it will help you, indeed, along the path, made up of falls, insults and spitting, which will lead you to fulfill your destiny as a Chosen Undead; he will be your proud ally in several particularly trying battles against abominable creatures, all united by the curious desire to dismember you, and even in the last battle you will have to fight, if you can help him.
Yes, because the story of Solaire is not already written in the stars, his life and his destiny are also in your hands.
On his pilgrimage, the Warrior of the Sun will have the opportunity to get lost in his convictions on the verge of fanaticism; Yeah, I haven't told you yet about what Solaire believes in, what brings him here and what will bring him one step away from madness (or give in completely).
Solaire, the origins of an endless quest
As mentioned, the friendly warrior comes from the land of Astora, known for the value of its warriors, for the skills of its craftsmen and for the commitment to the Faith of all its inhabitants.
Solaire is a worshiper of the Sun, in the purest sense of the term, and he devotes his entire existence to the search for His Personal Sun, during his pilgrimages he comes across, in an unknown moment, in the name and legend of Lord Gwyn, being that he had defeated the Elder Dragons by the Power of the Sun, becoming their Lord and bringing a period of peace upon Lordran (even about that funny Gwyn sooner or later I should tell you, but not now). The legend also speaks of a son of Gwyn, the God of War, who would have been deprived of his role following a betrayal and expelled from Anor Londo, the city of the Gods, while every trace of his existence, from statues to icons, it was destroyed and obliterated.
It is probably at this moment that something clicks in Solaire's head, he is convinced that a Lordran will find his Sun, probably an absurd but persuasive thought is fortifying within him; What if he was the lost son of the sun?
He arms himself, prepares his armor and shield, contracts the curse of Undeath and manages to reach Lordran, where he will meet you, the Chosen Undead, sensing the possibility of getting closer to his goal.
Your paths will often cross during your adventure, and it will always be a pleasure to have him at your side (after all he is a particularly skilled warrior and, in the Lordran of these times, My Lady, it is always convenient) with his solar spirit his perennial good mood.
A good mood that sadly conceals the collapse that is taking place in the spirit of the Sunbro, his search begins to seem vain, the questions become more and more pressing in his head and even his enormous faith begins to waver.
Lost Izalith and the false sun
In his now desperate search, the Warrior of the Sun will go as far as the ruins of Lost Izalith, what was once the thriving city that housed the dominion of the Witch of Izalith, before his attempt to recreate the First Flame spawned Chaos, giving birth to the first demons, destroying the city and flooding it with lava.
The disaster that generated the Cradle of Chaos, he condemned Izalith to be infested with unclean creatures, such as the Insects of Chaos, a nice cross between Satan and a roach, with the tendency to control the mind.
Specifically their head, equipped with sweet red eyes and a peculiar illuminated tail.
When you meet them, in case you've found a shortcut to get here first, dear Chosen Undead, mercilessly exterminate them, if Solaire matters to you.
Your valiant friend, in fact, will go this far, in his now senseless search and the contact with the luminous insect will give the definitive boost to his psyche, already dangerously in the balance.
You meet him, in case he hasn't killed these cute puppies, right in that tunnel: his helmet is now gone, replaced by the glowing insect; between spasms and moans he will brutally attack you, forcing you to fight him, while in a flash of lucid madness he tells you how he has found the way, that that is his sun, that he is his sun.
When you defeat him, breaking your heart, your greatest friend in Lordran will regain some clarity and die seeing the sun go down, falling into darkness, away from everything he has always sought.
Solaire and the discovery of the Sun
The story of Solaire, however, does not necessarily have to take such a Shakespearean turn.
In the event that the Chosen Undead pest control company were to succeed in eradicating the colonization of the tunnel, Solaire would pass unscathed from Lost Izalith, being then ready for the final confrontation with Lord Gwyn.
The defeat of the Sun Lord probably opens the eyes of Solaire, who understands what his destiny is: to return to his cycle and sacrifice himself in binding the First Flame, serving as the fuel of humanity.
A little as if he were really, after all, a blazing sun.
Your Personal Sun.
