Arisen

"And now again, the choice is yours, Arisen." This article provides information and/or facts that contain spoilers. Please read with caution or refrain from proceeding further.

"Newly Arisen, walker of the path...take up arms. To me...come to me..."

Overview

See also: Dragon's Dogma World and Lore

The Arisen is the protagonist of Dragon's Dogma, having obtained this title after losing their heart to a mighty Dragon... and surviving.

Description

When The Dragon returns to the world it chooses a person of a certain worth, rips out that person's heart, and devours it. This person miraculously survives, thus becoming known as "Arisen". Those chosen by The Dragon embark on a journey to seek it out. The Arisen is said to be the only one that can slay The Dragon and with that, the Arisen will make choices that will shape the world.

The Dragon and the Arisen are connected through the scar on his or her chest and through it can communicate with each other. An Arisen does not age and has immunity to sickness, but can die in battle. The vitality of the Arisen is linked to their heart being kept by The Dragon; so long as The Dragon lives, the Arisen cannot die, save for in battle. Subsequently, when the Dragon dies, all Arisen who have not reclaimed their heart will age the amount of time that their heart was kept. This means age or death will eventually catch up to them.

Over the course of the game, the Arisen will become an unimaginable powerhouse - gaining superhuman abilities. They gain mastery over weapons and can kill armies of men and monsters. Their magical prowess can be just as high - gaining the ability to summon earthquakes, tornadoes, and meteors and to kill huge creatures with a single spell. Eventually resistant to all but the strongest magics and physical attacks, even the archmage Salomet is vanquished by them. Ultimately defeating a great Dragon, and bringing about the defeat of the world Dragon, once the Arisen's skills are developed few creature poses a threat to them, such as those found on the mysterious Bitterblack Isle.

Pawns

Main article: Pawns

Every Arisen has at their command a loyal otherworldly being known as their Main Pawn, and can enlist and journey with any other Pawns that they encounter.

Known Arisens

In Dragon's Dogma :

• The Player
• Savan
• Sofiah
• The Dragonforged
• Duke Edmun Dragonsbane

In Dark Arisen :

• Arthacos
• Ashe
• Daimon
• Barroch
• Grette

In Dragon's Dogma Quest :

• Asurei
• Lota
• Carroll

Notes

• The citizenry of Gran Soren tell of other Arisens, but many if not all were simply fakes.
• In Japanese, The Arisen is called ’kakusha' (覚者). It literally means awakened one and is a Buddhist term to refer to a person who has attained Buddhist enlightenment or Satori.
• The Arisen can become a Hybrid class unlike the pawns they command.

Speculated Arisen Timeline

This section contains speculation and spoilers.

This timeline is based on logical assumptions and the information provided in the game.

The Dragonforged and the Duke were Arisen after Savan; The Dragonforged is of a much greater age than the Duke - evidenced by him turning to dust as the aging process was restarted on defeat of the Dragon.

Sofiah's position in the timeline is complex. Sofiah states (Source: Witch Hunt quest) that Selene resembles her because she gave a portion of her soul through the Bestowal of Spirit - the difference in apparent age is explained by the Selene, as a pawn, not aging whilst Sofiah aging and dying as a human with her heart returned - it is therefore speculated that Sofiah successfully defeated a Great Dragon at some point

Upon finishing the game, the Newly Arisen (The Player) gave a portion of your soul to your Main Pawn and your Main Pawn resembles you at the end of the game. This contradicts Sofiah looking elderly and Selene looking youthful. Thus, it can be speculated that Sofiah indeed gained back her heart.

Two histories for Sofiah are possible:

1. Sofiah defeated a Great Dragon: She fought and defeated The Dragon, regaining her mortality. She then traveled to The Everfall and chose to go and live a peaceful life instead of moving on towards the Seneschal. This is possible before or after Savan.
2. Sofiah was released from the Dragon's bondage when another Arisen defeated the Great Dragon: Another Arisen in her time fought and defeated The Dragon -as a result Sofiah would get her heart back and age normally as a human. The successful Arisen could be Savan, or an earlier Arisen.

In conversations with him and The Fool, they also reveal that there were at least two or three Arisens before the Newly Arisen.

It is also speculated that Grigori, the Dragon, was once an Arisen. One whom fought the Seneschal, but failed to defeat him. Because of his defeat, he was transformed into a dragon and set forth to find a new Arisen. This theory is supported by the ending the player receives if they fail to defeat the Seneschal in combat.

External links

• Arisen on the Heroes wiki.