#inquisitor ghiza | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs | Tumgik (2023)

Here's a theory I pulled out of my ass- if the portrait in the volcano manor has the official's attire rather than the noble attire Rykard wears in his own portrait...assuming that in the other portrait, the individual is wearing a mask...you think it's Ghiza- Rykard's inquisitor? He does wear just about the same thing when invading you. The only real difference is the bandages covering the face and hands.

Hi!! As you said in your other ask, I did already cover this topic, but I’m answering this anyway as an excuse to talk about it more lmao

Ultimately I still favor the idea that the portrait is an earlier depiction of Rykard, BUT I think the idea that it’s one of his inquisitors (like Ghiza) is equally likely. Someone pointed out to me a while ago that Maleigh Marais, who also wears the Official’s robe, wears bandages under his mask, so it’s possible that’s the case for this portrait too?

Anyway I love this idea because whoever this painting is of, it’s significant that the only other portraits in Volcano Manor are of Radahn and Tanith, two people extremely important to Rykard… so it makes sense that this person would also be important to him… and we know in a previous version of the canon that an inquisitor was “one of Rykard’s paramours.” All I’m saying is that there is actually a very plausible chance that they had some kind of dark, twisted romance. Do what you will with this information. I made fanart

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An unhinged Elden Ring fashion deep dive

So yesterday, I had A Moment and I ended up feverishly researching every item description for the nobles’ embroidered robes for like 2 hours. While doing so, I discovered that there’s actually a pretty distinct culture around clothing for the nobles of the Lands Between! The costume design in this game is so outrageously good.

Putting this under the cut, as this is going to get long:

Robes

All robes are embroidered in a similar fashion, with slight variations that change with each color. It seems like the nobles who wear this style of robe are the nobles in regions sworn to Leyndell, including Limgrave and the Altus Plateau. The Carian royals in Liurnia notably dress differently, as they are independent and have their own distinct culture. Let’s look at each type of robe individually:

1. Upper-Class Robe: “Embroidered, bright green robe worn by noble children. Donning such a robe is traditionally the child's first show of burgeoning independence.”

Rya wears these robes, as she is Lady Tanith’s adopted daughter and thus a noble child.

2. Ruler’s Robe: “Luxurious robe worn by lords in a smaller nation. Its fine blue mantle serves to prove its wearer's status.”

I believe that “lords in a smaller nation” refers to the vassal lords of Leyndell and the smaller domains they rule over, such as Mt. Gelmir or Fort Haight. Kenneth Haight wears these robes.

I am assuming that the blue mantle serves to distinguish a fully fledged lord from a noble child, as the description says that the mantle proves the wearer’s status.

3. Consort’s Robe: “Fine robe of white silk worn by Tanith, Lady of the Volcano Manor.”

Though Tanith is our only example, I believe that the name implies that all consorts of lords would wear these white robes.

4. Official’s Robe: “Grubby blue robe worn by magisterial officials to carry out their grim tasks. Surveillance, executions, gruesome rituals... The darkest duties drive the wheels of mankind.”

These robes are worn by Inquisitor Ghiza, who served as Rykard’s executioner while he was Praetor.

5. Marais Robe: “Robe with a black mantle across the shoulders. Customarily worn by the head of House Marais.”

This robe, worn by Maleigh Marais, is exactly the same as the Official’s Robe, and indeed, the description for the Marais Mask adds that “The Marais family has a dual history spanning generations, serving as both executioners and castellans of the Shaded Castle.” House Marais is described as carrying out similar duties to Inquisitor Ghiza’s—both descriptions use the term “execution”. So it makes sense that they would wear the Officials’ Robes as a house that does dirty work for their domain.

The black mantle is probably an added flair piece to show that this is an old, long-lived family with a history.

Masks

Masks are surprisingly important to the culture of these nobles! Every image I’ve included at the top of the post (except for Rya) includes a mask or some kind of face covering. I think we can glean some information about the role of masks in society from this first mask:

1. Ruler’s Mask: “Mask in the image of a wizened sage. Customary dress among lords in a smaller nation. […] Such a mask illustrates the qualities of an ideal lord: chiefly, wise and possessing a certain defanged geniality. One at the center of society often finds these qualities most expedient.”

This description implies to me that the purpose of wearing a specific mask is to communicate the qualities that you desire to embody as a noble. Basically, it shows how you want to be perceived in society.

Again, it uses the phrase“in a smaller nation,” so it’s the noble vassals of Leyndell who are dressing like this.

2. Consort’s Mask: “Mask worn by Tanith, Lady of the Volcano Manor, in the image of a foreign queen. […] Long ago, when Rykard first set eyes on Tanith, she was working as a dancer in a foreign land. Soon, he made her his consort.”

It’s interesting that Tanith is common-born, but her mask is specifically in the image of a foreign queen. I think Tanith wears this mask to project an image of regal power, so that the nobles of the Lands Between are more likely to respect her despite her being both a foreigner and a commoner.

3. Marais Mask: “Mask in the image of a white-haired young noble. Customarily worn by the head of House Marais. […] The Marais family has a dual history spanning generations, serving as both executioners and castellans of the Shaded Castle. This mask bears the likeness of the first of their line.”

This mask is modeled off of the founding member of House Marais. Just as with the black mantle on the Marais Robe, this mask serves to highlight the longevity of House Marais. This mask tells us that this is a house that is proud of its history and forebears.

Image 6 - The Volcano Manor mystery portrait

This portrait can be found in Volcano Manor, and there have been many theories on who it depicts! This figure wears a mask that appears to have a beard, a crown with a red cowl, and a green Upper-Class Robe. After having done all this research, I think the most convincing theory is that this is… Rykard himself! Boring, I know. But I think the reasons why I believe it’s him have some interesting implications:

I think this portrait was painted when Rykard first established Volcano Manor, and was sworn to Leyndell. He wears the customary attire of a young noble—a green Upper-Class Robe and a mask that resembles his own face (he’s the only member of his family with a beard). In his early days as Praetor, this is how Rykard would have dressed to fit in with the Altus Plateau’s other nobility.

Rykard’s other portraits were clearly painted after he rebuked the Golden Order and committed blasphemy—he is decked out in snake-themed attire, and snakes are said to be enemies of the Erdtree. So he probably wouldn’t have always dressed like this.

Honestly I can’t think of anyone else who this person could be where it would make sense for them to be wearing a green robe. Rykard didn’t have kids at the time, there was no other lord of Volcano Manor, and if they were a consort or an official, they would be wearing white or blue. Unless the robe IS blue, and this is a case of Volcano Manor’s frustrating color-warping lighting.

And that’s it! Let me know if I missed anything! If you made it this far, thank you for indulging my mental illness

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The unidentified Volcano Manor portrait UPDATE

A little while ago I made a post discussing the costume design of the nobles’ robes in Elden Ring, and I said that based on the robe’s green color, the unidentified person in this Volcano Manor portrait was likely Rykard. At the end of the post, I uttered this phrase:

WELL… as it happens, recently, a video came out that displays all the in-game portraits in neutral lighting, and guess what… the robe isn’t green, it actually IS blue! That means that this person isn’t wearing an Upper-Class/Ruler’s Robe, but an Official’s Robe… which means that they must be an executioner/torturer/inquisitor! Which opens up some more possibilities…

Putting this under the cut:

First of all, I think it could still be Rykard. The reason why I think so is because Maleigh Marais, who wears a blue Official’s Robe, is both the castellan of Shaded Castle AND its executioner. We know that Rykard was both Lord of Volcano Manor, and Praetor— a justiciar who enforced law. Rykard’s inquisition carried out surveillance, tortures, and executions in the name of the law. Taking that into consideration, Rykard’s position could’ve been similar to Maleigh’s—both a noble and an executioner, who wears both a noble’s mask and a blue Official’s Robe. The figure also wears an important-looking crown, which befits the status of a lord. Lastly, the central pattern on the figure’s robe is actually different than on the standard Official’s Robe. This could possibly indicate Rykard’s status as the official-in-chief, who commands the other blue robe-wearing officials.

But as you can see, there are other characters who wear blue robes, so this portrait could just as easily be of someone else… but first, lets establish some parameters:

The other portraits hung in Volcano Manor are Rykard himself, his brother Radahn, and the video also shows a portrait of Tanith that exists but must have been cut from the game for some reason. Anyway, this tells us that Rykard is inclined to own portraits of people he really cares about.**

So we know that this person must be a) an executioner/torturer/inquisitor, and b) someone important to Rykard. This description fits pretty nicely with the early version of the Daedicar’s Woe talisman:

Daedicar v1 was both a torturer, and someone important to Rykard, but since his character was changed into that of Rya’s mother, his status as a legit character is dubious.

However, the description says “paramours,” plural — Rykard could have been having relationships with any one of his inquisitors! We see Inquisitor Ghiza in-game, and he indeed wears the blue robes. He also wears bandages around his face, and we know that Maleigh Marais wears bandages underneath his mask — I wonder if the figure in the portrait has bandages under the mask too?

So, to recap, this person could still be Rykard, but they could also be Daedicar v1, Inquisitor Ghiza, or any other rando official in Rykard’s inquisition who he was romantically involved with. Honestly, I still think the portrait is Rykard. But I also think the idea that Rykard has a portrait of his ex hung up on the wall is really funny

**Conspicuously absent from Rykard’s portraits is Ranni. It should be obvious at this point that there’s no way this unidentified portrait is of Ranni. So, if Rykard cares for his sister, why doesn’t he have a portrait of her? Literally who knows. Personally, I think Ranni doesn’t have a portrait because she has bad feelings associated with her empyrean flesh and perhaps Rykard wanted to respect her wishes. He did help her kill that body, after all.

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