Elden Ring - Confronting Ranni About The Black Knives

“So you’re the reason I have to do all this bullshit and the world is in shambles?” “Yes but this doll I inhabit is pretty cute” Every single player: Marry me

Ranni confronting Ranni over her identity as Ranni is a piece of the lore I never knew about, very nice

I can’t get over how she’s sitting on a bunch of books to look taller lol best girl hands down

So much of her questline can be shaken up, by the time I was asking her this we were already working together and she happily told me where to go.

What I find interesting is that she admits to making the Black Knives that could kill demigods... but NOT that she was actually behind Godwyn's death.

"Also how did you steal my clothes"

So, here's my interpretation of Ranni's plans and her cooperation with the Black Knives: We know, because Ranni tells us in this conversation, that it was she who stole a fragment of the Rune of Death and used it to forge blades which were capable of fully slaying a demigod. So, I do believe that at least at one point, she and the Black Knives were working together. However, I think that Ranni tricked the Black Knives, which is (at least) one of the reasons they hunt her throughout the game. The Black Knives intended on using their newly-forged blades to slay Godwyn - possibly as a specific attack on Marika as most of the Knives were Numen women, like Marika, though this being their motivation is unconfirmed as far as I know - and Ranni used this plan to enact her escape from the two fingers and the greater will. We know, because the cursemark's lore text tells us, that it was the fact that two demigods died at the same moment that caused it to break in two. Without this paired death - as far as I can tell - if Ranni had used the Death Rune's fragment on herself, she would have been subjected to its full power and simply died, both in body and soul, rather than escaping. So, I do think that Ranni did intend for at least on other demigod to die, though I don't think she herself targeted Godwyn - that was entirely the plot of the Black Knives. Because Godwyn died at the same time as her, the cursemark split, and each of them bore on half of its power - Godwyn died in soul, allowing Ranni to survive the process, while Ranni died in body, allowing her to flee her empyrean flesh and thus escape the power of the two fingers. This is the most coherent organization of events and motivations that I've been able to put together. If anyone has any thoughts, or if I've got something wrong, please chime in!

When you’re 30 hours in and still only have a mere fraction of a sense of what’s happening in the story and lore

I love how she doesnt teleport away or start a sister friede like boss fight. Shes just like "yeah so what?"

Wheres the body? Ranni: Im not telling you Fine ill search up the internet then

“Sure I just happened to make God-Killing knives, and suuuuuure they may have been used to kill Godwyn, but I had nothing to do with it I swear”

Ranni:"Why art thou here?" I'm here to offer you an accord, one that you can't refuse~

If you return to Rogier, he then tells you to enter her service, and then you can return to Ranni and do her quest as normal, but with some different dialogue. Really interesting stuff! She talks about how "someone looking for the cursemark is bound to be interesting", and wishes you "good luck on your hunt"

Rip Godwyn, he really drew the shit end of the stick.

Pretty sure Godwyn's death is a result of the rune of death requiring both a body and soul for one death, so instead of killing herself completely, she cheated so to speak by killing Godwyn's soul and her body. Well, rip Godwyn, you'll live on as a weird octopus thing I guess.

She put her corpse atop a divine tower as if to mock the gods.

"Thy begging compels me not a jot" Yuuuup, I'm using that 📝

It's a shame Godwyn was the one who died for her plan, he seemed pretty decent ending the war with the dragons peacefully (imagine if Mohg got offed instead?). Ranni is mostly in the right trying to throw off the Golden Order considering how it uses force to dominate every into adherence, but she has enough deviousness in her manipulations to leave you questioning how much altruism is really there. Still, she holds to her promise to leave the lands between once the Golden Order is dealt with, leaving the people of the Lands Between to find their own paths without the domination of the demigods. I just wish we got a reaction to Blaidd's death from her. It probably was inevitable that he would lose himself to the Two-Fingers, but I wish I could hear some sadness that her adopted brother died after trying to serve her for so long.

No matter what the past really was, all we know is when everything is over, Ranni does invite you to leave the land together as what she told you. Ranni and her supporters, including Jerren, have been acting consistently and being honest with you throughout the game.

Keep in mind that when you find Blaidd driven mad after Ranni leaves, there's three assassin corpses at Ranni's tower. They want her dead. Blaidd tries to fight off whatever they did to him, shouting how he'll never hurt her, but then goes insane and attacks you on sight. If Ranni was with the assassins they wouldn't be hunting her. They're with Marika. Ranni is anathema to Marika's goal. Marika wants eternal rule. Ranni wants to free everyone from rule.