Elden Ring: The Lore Behind Tanith and Volcano Manor Explained

gamerant.com:

Elden Ring's Volcano Manor is a very memorable location for its lava, snakes, and gothic castle. The head of the manor is also striking: a masked and stoic woman named Tanith. She is a character with her own questline, having the player kill other Tarnished and do what she describes as «joining forces against the Fingers.»

Like all lore and story in Elden Ring, Volcano Manor and Tanith's background are not so easily discoverable to the player. Fans are slowly piecing the lore together through collected items and sharing it on the internet. To understand Tanith and the manor, fans must also understand the story of Rykard all the way back to before he became the serpent of blasphemy.

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Volcano Manor was built on Mt. Gelmir because the demigod Rykard, the oldest son of Radagon and Rennala, wanted to research new forms of magic using the volcano's magma. Rykard was a powerful sorcerer and became known for his disloyalty to the Golden Order and the Greater Will. In fact, he helped his sister Ranni defy her destiny and then proceeded to kill everyone who remained loyal to the Erdtree and Golden Order. Along with him, Volcano Manor was ruled by Tanith, who originally was a dancer that Rykard met and fell in love with in his travels.

However, the demigod and his wife were not alone in the manor. There was an immortal god serpent named Eiglay, and Rykard was charmed by it. Apparently, there was a lost heretical religion that worshipped Eiglay long ago and Rykard decided to use Volcano Manor as grounds for the religion to be reborn. This religion, however, required a ton of sacrifice, so Volcano Manor became a place of torture and death. Eventually, Rykard sacrificed