If you watched the game's opening cinematic, you already have a taste of Dark Souls 3's story, which we've previously been told by localization producer Brandon Williams will "bring certain story elements of the series to a close." Upon playing it, we've been able to piece a bit more together.

Upon entering Firelink Shrine, you meet a morose knight who is the first to fill you in on your quest. You are what the game refers to as an Unkindled (or Ashen One), and you have been risen from the dead to hunt down the Lords of Cinder, four big bad guys who have deserted their thrones in Firelink Shrine.

Within Firelink Shrine, you can actually see five thrones, four of which are empty and tell you the names of the enemies you seek: Yhorm the Giant of the Profaned Capital, the Watchers of the Abyss, Holy King Lothric, Last hope of his Line and Saint Aldrich of the Deep. In the fifth spot rests Ludleth the Exiled, the only Lord of Cinder who has not vanished.

Upon talking to Ludleth, he fills in a bit more of the back story. He informs you that all of the Lords of Cinder are people who, at some point long ago, linked the fire, a process we’ve seen repeated time and again throughout the Dark Souls series. That ritual has left Ludleth as little more than a charred corpse, though presumably the other Lords of Cinder are not in such a sorry state.

Ludleth further explains that all five Lords of Cinder must be present on their thrones in order to link the fire again. And the fire must be linked in order to "preserve the world."

Curiously, when you try to talk to Ludleth, the game opens a menu. This suggests that, at some point deeper into the game, he may offer further services beyond just talking — other "talk-only" characters will speak immediately rather than making you select the command from a menu.