Part of what make's From Software games so attractive to players is their amazingly rich lore. Many items, ranging from consumables to equipment to spells, each have their own written descriptions often concealing enormously consequential revelations found no place else in the game. Elden Ring is the same. Once recently virally popular example from Elden Ring makes sense of a pivotal detail in the game's backstory spinning around the fight between Malenia and Radahn.

Fair warning, the accompanying dive into Elden Ring's lore will be overflowing with spoilers. Since FromSoftware shares almost no story or lore upfront, everything about effectively a spoiler. As most Elden Ring players know, a cinematic trailer revealed that Malenia and Radahn fought each other in a culmination of the war known as The Shattering. This battle had no victor, nor a failure, though it released the Scarlet Rot that scarred Caelid with poison. What may not have been apparent, however, is that both Malenia and Radahn survived this Battle of Aeonia.

Elden Ring players truly do find what's become of both Malenia and Radahn as part of the game's story. Neither survived the fight unscathed, to say the least. One detail that's left ambiguous, however, is how Malenia survived. This has now been addressed, care of the description on one of Elden Ring's Spirit Ashes. The ash for Cleanrot Knight Finlay explains that she, in an "unimaginable act of gallantry," survived the Battle of Aeonia and personally carried the slumbering Malenia away.

The description on Cleanrot Knight Finlay's ash proceeds to say that she battled off many enemies as she retreated with Malenia. She then took Malenia to the Haligtree, a location with profound association to Malenia's kin Miquella. There's not a really obvious reason as to why Finlay took Malenia here, though it can be assumed to have been a safe place for her or even a place of healing.

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As revealed in the story, Malenia is suggested to have remained at the Haligtree slumbering up until the player finds them. Malenia was said to be waiting for the return of Miquella, who has their own awful fate for players to find. As for Finlay, she's become Spirit Ashes, which can be found within the Haligtree.

Ultimately, Cleanrot Knight Finlay's Spirit Ashes provides a small but important detail within Elden Ring's lore. It lays out what's happened to Malenia, a critical character in Elden Ring's story, as well as the nature of her Cleanrot Knights and the aftermath of the Battle of Aeonia. It's just a small but wonderful look into what players love about Elden Ring.