When you first reach the highly-imposing castle etched into the side of Mt. Gelmir, the landscape is filled with both elegance and despair as the once might of Volcano Manor is mirrored in both its towering visage and scarred with flame and destruction etched along its edges. And deep within the depths beyond lava and fire resides the source of pure evil – Lord of Volcano Manor, son of the Champion of the Erdtree Radagon and Queen Rennala of the Academy of Raya Lucaria
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Praetor Rykard would end up being the fruit that fell too far from the Erdtree, using his sister Ranni’s plan to steal a fragment of the Rune of Death from The Vessel of The Elden Ring, Maliketh, to embark on his own journey, free from the embarrassment of his own lineage.
Volcano Manor
Rykard’s true fall from grace, outside his growing disdain for the ideals imposed on him by The Greater Will, started when he chose Mt. Gelmir as the location to begin his new era in the Lands Between. Blessed with the gift of sorcery from his mother, Rennala, Rykard discovered ancient hexes and powerful dark magic within the depths of the mountain. Thus, decided to construct his entire kingdom from the base of Mt. Gelmir.
His followers, numerous as they were, followed their Lord with heads held high and a fiery resolve in their hearts, trusting in their leader that he would preserve their shared desire for a world without The Greater Will. Their devotion and sacrifice would ultimately end in Lord Praetor Rykard and Volcano Manor’s downfall. On his journey to uncover and fully comprehend the true nature of the dark sorcery hidden beneath Mt. Gelmir, Rykard took on a partner in Tanith, a fearless and bloodthirsty consort who becomes the head of Volcano Manor at the culmination of the legacy dungeon quest line.
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Rykard’s thirst for power left the once devoted and charismatic leader a visibly deteriorating shadow of his former, charming self. During The Shattering, the bloodiest of battles were fought on the doorstep of Volcano Manor. When The Capitol fully grasped the true nature of Rykard’s intent, the legions of undead knights and nightmare creatures devised through the use of the dark magic within Mt. Gelmir, it was too late. The Capitol’s efforts were no match for the might of the Lord of Volcano Manor’s undead armies.
The Immortal Great Serpent
Many of Lord Rykard’s followers, as well as his devoted wife Tanith and The Mt. Gelmir Knights, recognized their master’s insatiable lust for power but stuck by him still, while others did not.
Rykard’s obsession finally paid off as the whispers he had begun to hear grew louder in his head, their words comforting and alluring, promising great fortunes for him. Those whispers belonged to an ancient and malevolent demigod, The Immortal Great Serpent. Rykard turned the once mighty castle of Volcano Manor into a meat factory serving the bodies of the Lands Between bravest and boldest to the true Lord of Mt. Gelmir, the voracious serpent.
The serpent demigod hibernates beneath the fire and lava, whispering out to those who’d listen, promising them eternal life. Lord Rykard was entranced with the notion of becoming everlasting and all-powerful not only to merely avoid death but to pave the way for a new world order, one without the weakness of The Greater Will.
The Immortal Great Serpent convinced Lord Rykard that to achieve immortality and power beyond anything he’s ever imagined, he would need to sacrifice his physical form by being devoured by the giant snake.
Poisoned by lust for power and crippled by the seductive serpent’s whisper, Lord Rykard permitted the Immortal Great Serpent to consume his body, allowing him to take on the form of Rykard, Lord of Blasphemy.
Rise, Ye Tarnished
When you, the Tarnished, enter the narrative, the now head of Volcano Manor, Tanith, has commenced systematically disposing of all Tarnished in The Lands Between, often feeding those deemed worthy enough to the now serpent demigod Lord Rykard of Blasphemy. She contracts you to finish off the last of your kind in order to ensure her husband will be accomplished.
RELATED:Elden Ring Lore: The Tarnished, ExplainedWhile embarking on the Volcano Manor quest line, Tanith convinces you that the Tarnished you are hunting are enemies of the Erdtree and sends you to hunt down and kill enemies she believes are the greatest threats to her and Volcano Manor.
When the last Tarnished is slain, you are granted a special meeting with the true Lord of Volcano Manor, the giant grotesque monstrosity that resides at the base of Mt. Gelmir, Rykard, Lord of Blasphemy.
After you defeat Rykard, Lord of Blasphemy, Tanith can be seen lying beside the grotesque atrocity that was once her lover and partner, consuming what remains of the serpent demigod’s head.
Not much is known as to the motives of Tanith after you slay the serpent; however, it is believed that she is deeply grieving the loss of Rykard and, in a final show of devotion, spends her final days devouring the head of her husband.
