>>718665573
The Hornsent build a giant tower with the bodies of Shaman used as 'bricks' in the construction.
This, by how the magic in the setting works, actually makes the tower divine and connected to real godlike power, via the Crucible of all life. Which the Hornsent already knew about and worshipped and regularly channeled through rituals.
They go further and build a gateway that is able to really connect to the divine, in this case going beyond the Crucible and attracting the attention of the Two Fingers and their control over the Order left behind by the Greater Will. This gateway may or may not have been made of bodies of their own kind originally. It might mean something if it did, but if they ended up mixed in later, it wouldn't change much.
The Hornsent were also hunting Shamans for another ritual, where they'd flay them apart and shove them in jars together to merge their flesh into a greater being. An Empyrean, a candidate to become a true God. This also connects to channeling the Crucible.
Marika, was the successful product of this system. A Shaman girl that came out of the Jar Ritual as a half-divine figure.
The Hornsent view this as a holy act and seemingly didn't expect that a product of it wouldn't appreciate what an honor it was.
Marika is brought up to the Gates of Divinity to become the God of the Hornsent. Through a city that was built out of her own people. Decorated with trees that are also Shaman women.
But when she gets to the Gates, she betrays them and kills almost the entire congregation with her new-found power, and claims Godhood for herself alone.
In this, she makes contact with the Two Fingers, not the Crucible that the Hornsent worshipped. The Two Fingers make her the center point of their Elden Ring system and facilitate Marika creating her Golden Order to reestablish their primacy over The Lands Between.
Hit enter too early last time.
