Dragon Communion


	For the spells, seek Dragon Communion Incantations.

Dragon Communion (竜餐, Ryūsan) is a historical practice in Elden Ring. It involves the hunting of drakes, the descendants of Ancient Dragons, in pursuit of their gravel stone-covered hearts.

Specifically, Dragon Communion is the act of consuming dragon hearts in order to acquire the draconic powers within. The hearts are consumed at a Dragon Communion Altar which is usually in the presence of a fallen dragon.

History[]

In the distant past, the lord of the ancient dragons, Placidusax, was attacked by the great drake, Bayle the Dread. Their clash ended in a stalemate and left both gravely injured, with Bayle fleeing the field of battle. As vengeance for Bayle's transgression, Placidusax had some of his followers take mortal forms as humanoid priestesses and travel to the lands of men, where they would beckon human warriors to their cause. They established the practice of dragon communion in order to hunt down and punish Bayle and his descendants, the drakes. The human warriors were lured to this cause with the promise of great power which could only be acquired by consuming the heart of a drake.^{[citation needed]}

As time passed, the practice would continue without influence from the priestesses, however many practitioners would forget the original purpose of these hunts and would simply carry on consuming hearts in pursuit of personal gain. Some drakes have become aware of this practice, such as Ekzykes the Decaying, who even after succumbing to Malenia's rot would never forget his hatred and thus keeps himself stationed at the entrance of the Cathedral of Dragon Communion, so that he may kill or deter any would-be practitioners before they can reach the altar.^{[citation needed]}

Many practicioners develop a hunger for the hearts as they hunt, which becomes gradually intensifies the more hearts they devour. This leads many to commune without restraint, an act that has dire consequences for their humanity, as their bodies and minds gradually become more and more draconic. The end-result is transformation into Magma Wyrms, dragon-like creatures with pitifully small wings, incapable of flight and cursed to crawl the earth on their bellies until the end of their days. Ironically, this end often comes at the hands of their fellow communers as their own hearts are now a sufficient target for dragon communion as well.^{[citation needed]}