If you’re on this page, this means you just found Iji’s dead body covered in black flames. I’m sure you have lots of questions: Why did this happen? What triggered this unexpected event? Is Iji’s death preventable? Let’s find out!
What happened to Iji in Elden Ring?
Iji is killed by the Black Knife assassins. You’ll find his dead body engulfed in flames. The bodies of three of his assassins are laying nearby. Iji died holding his weapon which indicates he was killed.
Iji’s death is triggered after you talk to him and tell him what happened to Blaidd. When you return to visit him, you’ll find his dead body engulfed in black flames. His death is not preventable.
While Iji previously implied he would kill himself as a means to repent for his mistake, that did not happen. The Black Knife assassins got to him before he had the time to put his words into action.
Iji’s greatest regret
Iji’s assassins are infiltrated by Black Knife as you progress into Ranni’s questline. The game implies that the Black Knife assassins came for Iji, Blaidd and Seluvis to punish them for aiding Ranni. You can find more clues that suggests the Black Knives assassins tricked Iji into imprisoning Blaidd.
The Black Wolf Mask you’ll find outside Seluvis’s tower reads as follows: “A mask fashioned after the head of a black wolf. Relic of an assassin who assumed the guise of Ranni the Witch’s loyal shadow. The likeness is striking“.
This suggests it wasn’t Blaidd that killed Seluvis. It seems the killer was an assassin disguised as him. The Black Knife assassins probably decided to take out the loose ends (Seluvis and Iji) when neither Ranni nor Blaidd were there to protect them.
That’s what probably made Iji imprison Blaidd. Iji then feels ashamed for thinking Blaidd was the killer and doubting his loyalty to Ranni. He contemplates committing suicide to atone for his mistakes. But the Black Knife assassins attack him before he sets his plan into motion. Iji fights his assassins, and manages to take a few out before he dies.
A glorious death indeed!
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