Elden Ring, but that does not mean he's not a hero of the Lands Between. The demigod son of Rennala and Radagon, Radahn was once hailed as one of the most feared warriors in the world before going down the dark path of madness that would eventually claim him. However, certain items, characters, and locations in the game suggest that he retains an even more impressive potential title through it all: He is one of the most feared warriors in the entire universe.
[Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Elden Ring.]
This idea is indicated by his moniker, "Starscourge." Though a member of the Carian Household, Radahn chose not to study the stars themselves but instead focused on an entirely different school: Gravity Sorcery. Gravity-based sorceries originate from Alabaster and Onyx Lords, whose weapon descriptions confirm that they are elf-like creatures who crashed down into Elden Ring's Lands Between from space, and Radahn used the magic of these celestial beings to cease the movement of the stars. In turn, the power of the different schools of Sorcery were affected due their affiliation with the stars. The Carian and moon-related sorceries that Rennala and Ranni use were especially influenced by this. This makes Radahn's intentions covertly political. He weakened the Carian House, was a big fan of Godfrey of the Golden Order, and would later try to claim the Royal Capital after the Shattering. Thus, it seems as if Radahn wished to weaken those around him to claim the Elden Ring.
The story of Radahn's scourging of the stars seems to have been washed out by the timeline of Elden Ring at release, however. Radahn was infected with the Scarlet Rot by Malenia in their battle, which has since driven him to insanity. Now the once great battler of the stars and his long, complex history have been reduced to nothing, as Radahn only worries about where his next meal will come from and which Tarnished will challenge him next. However, the meteor that crashes into Limgrave after his defeat by the Tarnished shows that beneath Radahn's animalistic exterior exists a fierce defender of the Lands Between from extraterrestrial beings.
What Ranni And The Nox Wanted With The Stars In Elden Ring
To understand why it is likely that Radahn was protecting the Lands Between from celestial beings, one first must know the Nox's and Ranni's goals with the Dark Moon. Ranni asks the Tarnished to defeat Radahn specifically to gain entrance to Nokron, one of the Eternal Cities of the Nox, to obtain the Fingerslayer Blade. This fetish is described as proof of the Nox's blasphemy against the Golden Order, showing that they, like Ranni, wish to fight against the Greater Will.
Indeed, Ranni shares a lot with the Nox people. The Nox strangely have a great iration for the stars despite living deep beneath the ground. However, this affinity makes sense when visiting either Nokron of Nokstella, as their false skies glitter with stars. Even the large, scorpion-skeleton hybrid creatures who use Gravity Sorceries in these locations are called "Malformed Stars." This calls to Ranni's goal in creating an Age of Stars in which the Greater Will is replaced with the Dark Moon and the Outer Gods are kept away from the Lands Between. Thus, stars play an important role in both Ranni's and Nox's mission, which are already similar in their aim.
But the most significant connection between Ranni and the Nox is the Dark Moon. The Moon of Nokstella talisman explains that the Nox worshipped this moon because it guided the stars. Ranni's unique spell Ranni's Dark Moon explains that she discovered this sorcery as young child and that it was "cold, dark and veiled in occult mystery." This occult mystery is likely related to the Nox people and their Eternal Cities, as they were sealed away beneath the ground long ago. Thus, the Moon of Nokstella and the Dark Moon are likely one in the same, and Ranni's Age of Stars ending to Elden Ring is likely what the Nox would have done if they successfully defeated the Golden Order.
Why Radahn Seized The Stars In Elden Ring
With this information about the Eternal Cities and Ranni in mind, Radahn's reason behind stopping the stars' movements can be illuminated. While it is not clear whether Radahn had a personal vendetta against his sister, what is clear is that he had a concern about celestial beings crashing into the Lands Between. He was even willing to learn the gravity magic of these creatures to prevent more of them from coming, which is confirmed by the immediate impact of a meteor in Limgrave after his death and the presence of an Alabaster Lord near the crash site in the Weeping Peninsula. Consequently, Radahn was also willing to stand in his sister and mother's way by stopping the movements of the stars.
But Elden Ring's Starscourge Radahn, boss status aside, may have also been trying to keep control of the extraterrestrials already in the Lands Between. One of the Nox's Eternal Cities was struck by a falling star in punishment for their blasphemy. This falling star was Astel, Naturalborn of the Void. Astel is essentially a much larger and more powerful version of the Malformed Stars who also came to the Lands Between from outer space. While these these beings have posed a threat to the Nox and have even destroyed what was meant to be an eternal city, they are kept contained deep beneath the surface of the Lands Between because of the lack entryways into Nokron and Nokstella. But because of Ranni, they - along with other extraterrestrials like Falling Star Beasts - now have an opportunity to find their way to the surface.
Thus, Radahn stopped the motion of the stars likely to prevent more Malformed Stars, Falling Star Beasts, and Onyx and Alabaster Lords from crashing into the Lands Between and wreaking havoc. Stopping the stars not only aided in this mission because these creatures are stars themselves but also because the Dark Moon that guided them was weakened through Radahn's powers. And because it is only until Elden Ring's Radahn is defeated that the meteors begin to crash down into the world, he appears to have continued protecting the Lands Between even in his madness.
Sources: Canor_jax1/Reddit
