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Though Shadow of the Erdtree is full of tragic tales, Rellana, one of its coolest bosses, has a particularly sad and neglected one.
FromSoftware is not known for happy tales; Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree carries on that trend. Almost every non-player character (NPC) in the base game—that is, regardless of what the Tarnished does to assist them—faces a terrible end, generally death. Having beloved characters randomly dead upon their mission is completed has become a FromSoftware essential.
If the player makes the right decisions, one of the few NPC with a decent ending is Nepheli Loux. She can wind up as the new king of Stormveil Castle, so assuming control of Limbourne. Although Elden Ring ends happily, most of its characters lack that luxury.
Not limited to NPC, though, is the tragedy. Many managers are going through just as much, but they usually say less and are too busy trying to eradicate the Tarnished. Clearly visible examples are the cannibalistic zombie Starscourge Radahn, or Morgott, a hero despised by many, or the demi-gods. Though their stories sometimes go unappreciated, the Carian Royal Family has a close relationship to the legend of Elden Ring and has suffered equal tragedy.
One among the several sad tales in Elden Ring is the fall from grace of the Carian Royal Family. Long before the Shattering, once a strong family battling Marika's Golden Order to a stop, their collapse began. The only known members of the family until the expansion were Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon, and her children. But Shadow of the Erdtree unveiled Rellana, Twin Moon Knight, Rennala's younger sister and former Carian princess.
Liurnia's western coast, from where their estate, Caria Manor, is situated, has always been connected with the Carian Royal Family. Rellana most certainly held a similar title as a princess to Lunar Princess Ranni the Witch. Though not as central to family rule, Rellana and her sister saw the Twin Moon. When Rellana entered self-exile in the Lands of Shadow to assist Messmer, she carried the moon's light with her. Though it brought neither grace or glory, some Carian troops joined her in exile and promised Messmer their swords in his war against the Hornset.
Rellana left her family behind and forfeited her title as princess by heading for the Land of Shadow. Rellana must have left after Messmer's birth since he is acknowledged and serves as Radahn's older brother, albeit there is no specific chronology for this. Given Messmer the Impaler supposedly interacted with Radahn, Rellana most certainly participated in Liurnia's war against the Golden Order and was present for her sister's marriage to Radagon. Still, she decided to part from her family even as it started to grow.
Marika's attempts to wipe her son from history mean that even if Messmer and Rellana had trouble defining clear timelines, we know Rellana was absent to see her sister spiral into lunacy. Neither could she have fought for her in Liurnia's civil war following the Shattering started. Her self-exile prevented her from shielding Rennala from the Raya Lucaria separatists, thus she might not even be aware of the state Radagon left behind.
Given her skill and strength, Rellana most certainly could have held Raya Lucaria for the Carian Royal Family and commanded her army if she had been there. Though Rennala gave Rellana her lock of black hair, implying some degree of care for each other, it's not clear how close the sisters were. Rellana might have stopped the civil war completely and turned off her sister's craziness. As things are, though, she battles for Messmer without glory and dies at the hands of the Tarnished—who might be a naked man carrying a club.
Having imprisoned Morgott and Mohg for being Omens and exiled Messmer for fighting a war in her name, Marika is not known for being a great mother. Worse still, Rellana could have acted to prevent the further deterioration of her family; she was absent to observe it. Once more, it's not clear how close she was to her family, particularly given she chose self-exile. Still, the Sword of Messmer is obviously a devoted knight who might have changed the course of the Shattering. Rather, her niece burns her body to place her soul into a doll, another of her nephews gets eaten by a snake, and her sister is locked in a library. One of her nephews becomes a zombie.
Rellana is treated as a footnote even though other members of the Carian Royal Family get a lot of attention whether they are central to a questline like Ranni or hold Great Runes. She is not even the final boss of Shadow of the Erdtree; she is simply another of Messmer's supporters. She is one of the best in the expansion and a member of Elden Ring's second most significant family, yet the worst part is that she does not get a cutscene before her boss fight.
One could argue that Rellana was probably better off not being around to see her family's great collapse following the Shattering started. Her exile, however, was self-imposed to help Messmer. She could have stayed to lessen some of the catastrophe that befell them had she decided not to accompany him in the Land of Shadow. Rather, she spends her days waging a war for a man who has been deleted from history without glory or grace.
In the end, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree gives her so little yet adds still another member of the Carian Royal Family. Being the sister of the Carian Queen and with her cool fight, Rellana has grown to be a fan favorite. Given her helmet's item description—that she "renounced her lineage to chase after Messmer" and sacrificed everything for him—some think Rellana had a one-sided love for Messmer. This simply accentuates the sorrow of her narrative.