Elden Ring has a lot of undead running around in the Lands Between. They make up many of the enemies players have to fight against, from skeletal boatmen to specters. They all fit under the umbrella of Those Who Live in Death, a group that is demonized by the Golden Order.
Those Who Live in Death were not always around in the Elden Ring's timeline. In fact, they began to exist not long before the Elden Ring was shattered by Queen Marika. This is due to their connection with Godwyn the Golden, his death, and how it affected the Lands Between.
How Those Who Live In Death Came To Be
Originally, in the Lands Between, the souls of people who were blessed by Grace were immortal. This means if their bodies died, their souls would not. Objects like Spirit Ashes that players can use to summon help are actually these sorts of immortal souls. Most souls were absorbed back into the Erdtree, which fans think may be a sign that the Erdtree reincarnated these souls. So basically, bodies could die, but souls were immortal. This was due to Queen Marika taking the Rune of Death and sealing it away.
This did not last. Godwyn the Golden was a demigod whose soul was killed in the Night of the Black Knives by Numen assassins. The Numen had fragments of the Rune of Death, and that gave them the ability to kill his soul. This devastated the Lands Between and the demigod was buried right at the roots of the Erdtree (like most important people), in hopes that his soul will somehow still be absorbed back. Since Godwyn's soul was destroyed, this did not happen.
Instead, the roots of the Erdtree were corrupted. This created Deathroot and gave rise to Those Who Live in Death, which are undead souls that can neither truly die nor be absorbed back into the Erdtree. These beings are often ghosts, skeletons, and zombie-like. They are seen as a curse that must be dealt with by the Golden Order. Those Who Live in Death also worship Godwyn as the Prince of Death, since it was him who created them.
The Difference Between Those Who Live In Death And Tarnished
A question that has gone around between fans is if being Tarnished is any different from Those Who Live in Death, and the answer is Grace. Tarnished at the beginning of the game come back to life through the Erdtree's Grace. This Grace gives them immortality. Those Who Live in Death have no Grace.
Those Who Live in Death are not made by the Erdtree or part of the Greater Will. In fact, they are considered the opposite by the Golden Order. They are seen as blasphemous because they are without Grace and are not a part of the Greater Will's plan. This is why Golden Order characters like D have strong feelings about hunting Those Who Live in Death and want to rip out whatever Deathroot is found.
Fia's Connection
Fia is one of the few characters players meet that think of Those Who Live in Death with kindness. This is because she is a Deathbed Companion, and fans are still piecing together what that really means. Her dialogue has hinted that she comes from a place outside the Lands Between where Deathbed Companions are considered sacred. They take the vigor of champions and give it to dead nobles so that the nobles have a chance at a new life. What this new life entails and the reason behind this is unknown.
However, she was exiled when Grace touched her, so she was forced to the Lands Between. It seems that she learned of Godwyn and decided to make it her goal to be his Deathbed Companion. She would take the vigor of Tarnished and bestow it to him so that he may be renewed like the nobles of her homeland. She hopes to end the persecution of Those Who Live in Death by doing this. If the player completes her quest, they can unlock the Duskborn ending, which is hinted to return death to the Lands Between while also ending the demonization of Those That Live in Death.
Elden Ring is available for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
