Dark Souls Trilogy

Dark Souls Remastered

=== Setting ===
Dark Souls is set in Lordran, a decaying kingdom near the end of the Age of Fire. In the opening cutscene, the world is first described as an unchanging Age of Ancients inhabited by Everlasting Dragons. The First Flame then appears, bringing disparity: heat and cold, life and death, and light and dark. Several beings find powerful souls within the flame, including Gwyn, Lord of Sunlight; the Witch of Izalith; Gravelord Nito, the first of the dead; and the Furtive Pygmy, who finds the Dark Soul.
Gwyn, the Witch, Nito, and the scaleless dragon Seath overthrow the dragons, beginning the Age of Fire. As the First Flame fades, Gwyn sacrifices himself to preserve it. The game begins much later, when humans marked by the Darksign are cursed to resurrect after death and eventually lose their minds, becoming hollow.

Plot

The opening cutscene establishes the premise of the game. Everlasting Dragons once ruled over the world during the "Age of Ancients." A primordial fire known as the First Flame manifests in the world, establishing a distinction between life and death, and light and dark. A being known as Gwyn happens upon the First Flame and along with his allies use their new power to destroy the dragons and take control over the world, while the Furtive Pygmy is said to be forgotten, and thus begins the "Age of Fire." Over time, as the First Flame begins to fade while humans rise in power, Gwyn sacrifices himself to prolong the Age of Fire. The main story takes place towards the end of this second Age of Fire, at which point humanity is said to be afflicted with an undead curse related to a symbol on their bodies known as the Darksign. Those humans afflicted with the undead curse were perpetually resurrect after death until they eventually lose their minds, a process referred to as "hollowing."
The player character is a cursed undead, locked away in an undead asylum. After escaping the asylum, the player travels to Lordran to ring the Bells of Awakening. The bells awaken Kingseeker Frampt who tells the player to ascend to Anor Londo, the home of the Gods. After fighting through the nearly abandoned city, the player discovers the daughter of Gwyn, Gwynevere, who instructs the player to succeed Lord Gwyn and fulfill the prophecy. To accomplish this, the player must acquire the souls of Gwynn's primordial allies and return them to the flame in order to rekindle it. Optionally, the player may encounter Darkstalker Kaathe, who encourages the player not to link the fire but to let it die out and usher in the Age of Dark instead. After acquiring all the Lord Souls, the player travels to the Kiln of the First Flame to battle Gwyn, who had been reduced to a soulless husk. Once Gwyn has been defeated, the player has the choice of linking the flame to preserve the Age of Fire or letting it die out to instigate the Age of Dark.

Artorias of the Abyss

In the Artorias of the Abyss expansion, the player character is drawn into the past to the ruined land of Oolacile. There, they attempt to rescue Princess Dusk of Oolacile and investigate the fate of Knight Artorias, who had sought to confront the Abyss. The player character finds Artorias corrupted after being defeated by Manus, Father of the Abyss. After defeating Artorias and Manus, the player character rescues Dusk, while present-day legends continue to credit Artorias with stopping the Abyss.

Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin

Like its predecessor, Dark Souls II employs minimalist storytelling to convey its plot and lore. Historical events in the world and their significance are often implicit or left to player interpretation rather than fully shown or explained. Most of the story is given to the player through dialogue from non-player characters, flavor text from items, and world design; how players progress through the story can vary heavily depending on their actions.

Plot

The story of Dark Souls II begins with a human who is cursed to become a Hollow, a zombie-like being, after dying. To break this curse, the undead travels to the fallen kingdom of Drangleic and is tasked by a mysterious figure known as the Emerald Herald with obtaining four Great Souls from other powerful undead. Once obtained, the Emerald Herald directs the undead to "Seek the King" in the capital. After fighting through the remains of the royal guards, the player encounters the Queen Nashandra, who says that King Vendrick failed in his duty and fled his kingdom long ago. She asks the protagonist to slay the king.
Near the end of the Queen's quest, the player learns that the ruin of the kingdom was in fact caused by Nashandra. She came to the king and deceived him into launching an ill-fated invasion across the sea into the lands of the giants. She coveted their souls and sought to steal their power. Though the raid succeeded in stealing the giants' unspecified power, the giants retaliated. Invading Drangleic, they eventually destroyed the kingdom. With his kingdom in ruins, the king discovered Nashandra's true purpose and locked himself inside the Undead Crypt, to protect the kingdom's power and secrets from her, using different methods to ensure the Throne of Want, her desired object and linked to the source of his kingdom's power, lay beyond her grasp.
The player meets the Emerald Herald one final time, who states that Nashandra is a fragment of Manus, who was the final boss in the Artorias of the Abyss expansion in Dark Souls. She then asks the protagonist to put Nashandra to rest and to link the fire. The protagonist kills Nashandra and then sits on the Throne of Want, with the decision of either linking the fire or letting it die out ultimately being left ambiguous.
In Scholar of the First Sin, the base story changes slightly, notably with the addition of Aldia, King Vendrick's brother, to the final area, provided the optional boss, a hollow King Vendrick, has been defeated. Aldia appears several times throughout the game, offering the player cryptic hints about the cyclical nature of the world. Aldia, with the memory of King Vendrick, attempts to help the protagonist understand that there might be another way, a way out of the cycle of light and dark. The player is given two options: claim the Throne of Want, as in the first game; or the player can abscond the throne, and follow their own path beyond light or dark, seemingly with Aldia now accompanying the protagonist.

Expansions

The three The Lost Crowns DLCs add side-stories each featuring three other daughters of Manus and a quest to obtain the crown of three other kings whose rule has long ended. Once completed, the player can return to the place where Vendrick hid his power from Nashandra and obtain a fourth crown that combines the other three and cures the player of undeath.

Dark Souls III

Dark Souls III is set in the kingdom of Lothric, where the First Flame, which sustains the Age of Fire, is fading. To prevent the coming Age of Dark, a champion must link the fire by sacrificing themselves to rekindle it. Prince Lothric, who was chosen for this task, refuses to do so. In response, a bell tolls and awakens the Lords of Cinder, previous champions who linked the fire in earlier ages. Most of them abandon their thrones at Firelink Shrine, leaving only Ludleth of Courland behind.
The player character, known as the Ashen One, is an Unkindled: an undead warrior who previously failed to link the fire. The Ashen One is resurrected and tasked with returning the Lords of Cinder to their thrones. They defeat the Abyss Watchers, a legion of warriors sworn to fight the Abyss; Yhorm the Giant, a ruler who once linked the fire for his people; Aldrich, a cleric who became a Lord of Cinder after devouring others; and Prince Lothric, who is protected by his elder brother Lorian.
After the Ashen One returns the Lords' cinders to their thrones, they travel to the Kiln of the First Flame. There, they defeat the Soul of Cinder, a manifestation of those who previously linked the fire. Depending on the player's actions, the Ashen One may rekindle the First Flame, allow it to fade, or claim its power for themselves.

Ashes of Ariandel

In Ashes of Ariandel, the Ashen One meets Gael, a slave knight who asks them to enter the Painted World of Ariandel. The painted world is decaying, and some of its inhabitants believe it must be burned away so that a new world can be created. Sister Friede, who has taken control of the world, opposes this and persuades Father Ariandel to prevent the flame from spreading.
The Ashen One defeats Friede and Father Ariandel, causing the Painted World to begin burning. A young painter thanks the Ashen One for showing her flame and says that Gael has gone to find a pigment she can use to paint a new world.

The Ringed City

In The Ringed City, the Ashen One travels to the Dreg Heap, a collapsed landscape where ruined kingdoms from different eras have converged at the end of the world. Following Gael's trail, the Ashen One reaches the Ringed City, an ancient city associated with the Pygmies, the ancestors of humanity.
After awakening Princess Filianore, the Ashen One is transported to an ashen wasteland, where they find Gael seeking the blood of the Dark Soul for the painter in Ariandel. The Ashen One defeats Gael and gives the Blood of the Dark Soul to the painter, who uses it to begin creating a new painted world.