Now, here we are, with the current kingdom after many that have risen and fallen: Drangleic. It was created by King Vendrick and his brother, Aldia. Vendrick and Aldia inherited the curse, which comes when an age of dark nears. They try many different ways to stop, slow down, or counteract the curse: The Ancient Dragon, The Emerald Herald, Aldia's own transformation, seeking out the lost crowns, experimenting on giants, sending the undead away to the Lost Bastille, etc. Some are outright failures, some have promise but need more elements to succeed. Eventually, Vendrick and Aldia diverge in which paths they believe to be the best. Vendrick believes in the power of the lost crowns and the true monarch, Aldia believes in studying the first flame more closely and becoming one with it.
Any progress they are making skids to a stop when Vendrick's true love, queen, and wife, Nashandra, whom is a fragment of Manus from DS1, enters the picture. She wants to control the first flame by inheriting the throne of want to perpetually keep the world in an age of dark. Once Vendrick realizes this, he traps himself away and allows himself to go hollow due to being so heartbroken and remorseful. He does nothing while his kingdom is falling to a counterattack from the giants (whom he kidnapped and experimented on for the sake of curing the curse) and Nashandra seeks more control.
In Vendrick's last act of defiance and hope, he sets up a series of barriers to Nashandra assuming the throne of want and having control of the first flame: Looking Glass Knight, Shrine of Amana, Velstadt, The King's Ring, Ancient Dragon (Ashen Mist Heart), Giant Lord (Giant's Kinship), and the Throne Duo. He knows the chosen undead and true monarch (us) can overcome these obstacles and hopefully find a cure to the curse permanently, with the lost crowns and the throne of want at the true monarch's disposal.
We gather the crowns and become immune to the curse ourselves with Vendrick's blessing. This gives us more time to influence the world towards a cure for the curse, and possibly give us more insight into how to stop it. Meanwhile, Nashandra uses us to get past these obstacles, but we are sadly far too powerful for her to stop us now. We destroy her with ease, then prove ourselves to Aldia. He joins us on our unknown journey as the true monarch, as we are immune to the curse. Venturing out into the world with the immortal Aldia, we seek a way to end this once and for all.