Elden Ring is filled with interesting characters, enemies, and monsters, but perhaps one that has captured fan attention the most is Miriel, otherwise known as the Turtle Pope. Found at the Church of Vows, Miriel is an NPC who will sell the player some of Elden Ring's sorceries and incantations, all the while maintaining a peaceful and friendly demeanor really unseen in The Lands Between.
The Turtle Pope is simply a really cool character who brings a little light to the world, with no tricks unlike Fia whose hugs put a debuff on players. The Turtle Pope is probably the kindest soul in The Lands Between, so of course, some players questioned what would happen if they killed Turtle Pope. Not many would do it, but YouTuber Prizzaa Gaming Channel did just that.
In what has been deemed as “maidenless behavior,” Prizzaa posted a video of what happens if someone kills the Turtle Pope. Miriel will not respond in kind, refusing to attack the player in any shape or form. He’ll even retreat into his shell, believing it to be too strong for the player to break. Elden Ring’s Turtle Pope will even add, “I cannot die, but nor will I cause any harm unto you. Cease your futile efforts.”
However, Prizzaa Gaming Channel does not and eventually kills the Turtle Pope. The rewards include Miriel’s Bell Bearing, so that players can purchase his items from Roundtable Hold, and the odd snack of 12 turtleneck meats, which can be used to craft a Pickled Turtleneck. Furthermore, players can accept absolution from the church to resurrect NPCs the Elden Ring player has killed, but Prizzaa learns this doesn’t work for Miriel. Once he’s gone, he’s gone forever.
One of Prizzaa’s viewers made an astute observation that the player does not need absolution because Miriel forgave the player as they killed him—an absolute knife twist on the act. There is a silver lining to Prizzaa’s actions at least, and that’s anyone curious about what happens can watch this video instead of doing it themselves. Perhaps, instead, they’ll pursue an Elden Ring boss who should be killed like Margit instead of an innocent Turtle Pope.
While this isn’t necessarily a good “resolution” to this mystery, there is plenty for players to find and discover. Even though it’s been a month or so since launch, Elden Ring player just found a hidden wall in Volcano Manor that requires 50 hits to reveal a secret path. Chances are, the game is littered with little mysteries like this, but hopefully, none are as maidenless as killing the Turtle Pope.
Elden Ring is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
Source: Kotaku