Cut Elden Ring quest ties early-game merchant to a tragic subplot

Elden Ring's Kale appears before the door of Three Fingers — (Image credit: From Software / Sekiro Dubi)

One of Elden Ring’s earlier merchants was originally part of a long-running, tragic quest line before FromSoftware scrapped it for the finished game.

Kalé is the first merchant you stumble across in your adventures in the Lands Between – essentially, if you recall an NPC with Santa Claus-like garb, that’s our guy. Aside from selling valuable items and offering some lore titbits in exchange for chatter, you don’t get much else from Kalé as he remains rooted to the spot.

According to newly surfaced content from Sekiro Dubi (thanks, PCGamer), the merchant was once tied to a tragic subplot of the game. Speaking to Kalé further would have led to them mentioning The Great Caravan, which was once home to merchants like Kalé and something he yearns to find – imagine the treasure, after all. Defeating Godrick at Stormveil Castle would have sent Kalé on a quest to find the Great Caravan, with certain clues left behind to help you find the merchant’s following location.

This theme would have repeated throughout Elden Ring’s storyline until you reached the Subterranean Shunning Grounds beneath Leyndell. The place is eerie enough, with corpses in no short supply, though Kalé’s scrapped quest implies that those are their people and, in turn, the final resting place of the Great Caravan.

The Subterranean Shunning Grounds is also home to the Three Fingers, which relates to one of Elden Ring’s bad endings. Essentially, its teachings are considered sinful as opposed to the Two Fingers, and choosing to embrace the Flame of Frenzy ties you to that.

Upon discovering the fate of his people, Kalé swears revenge and cuts all ties with you. You can somewhat reconcile by embracing the Flame of Frenzy, though that doesn’t end well for Kalé either.

If you’re keen to check out more of Elden Ring’s content, Sekiro Dubi has recently found some that relate to Vyke – another minor character who holds prominence as they appear on the game’s cover art.

Here are more games like Elden Ring, ye tarnished.