Kiln of the First Flame

Dark Souls

The Kiln of the First Flame is the final area of Dark Souls. It is connected to Firelink Altar through a passage of white light patrolled by the ghostly forms of the Knights of Gwyn. Players can access the Kiln after placing the Lordvessel and filling it with the remaining Lord Souls, which opens the large stone doors sealing the Kiln.

As the origin point of all life, the First Flame came into being amidst the cold, lifeless expanse of enormous stone Archtrees and Everlasting Dragons that had existed since the beginning of time. Fire represented the disparity necessary for life to exist, and this disparity gave rise to the first mortal beings in the forms of Gwyn, Nito and the Witch of Izalith; as well as the Furtive Pygmy, the original progenitor of all humans. These beings found the Souls of Lords within the First Flame, granting them the power to destroy the Dragons and begin the Age of Fire, thus heralding the dawn of civilization.

As time passed, the First Flame began to wane, and with it, the power of the Lord Souls. In a desperate bid to preserve his Age of Fire, Gwyn traveled to the Kiln to rekindle the First Flame. His attempt failed, and Gwyn was left Hollow, trapped inside the Kiln to await the end of the world. A few of the Black Knights who accompanied Gwyn still guard this area in his honor.

Dark Souls III

A version of the Kiln appears in Dark Souls III as the final area. After returning all the Lords of Cinder to their thrones in Firelink Shrine, the player can then warp to the Kiln via bonfire. The player is transported to a completely barren Firelink Shrine with the only exit leading out to a distorted world. Here, buildings from all over Lothric seem to have been smashed together into an odd, dreamlike manner, and the Darksign Sun appears to be leaking into the world. A bonfire is right next to this exit, which then allows the player to warp to another part of the Kiln where the First Flame resides, guarded by the Soul of Cinder.