Honestly, most people playing Elden Ring treat NPCs like quest dispensers. You talk to them, you fetch the thing, you get the sword. But Rya’s questline is different. It’s one of the few stories in the Lands Between that actually feels personal. You’re not just saving the world; you’re helping a girl figure out she’s a man-serpent born from a "hideous ritual."
Normal stuff, right?
If you want to finish the Rya questline, you can’t just rush to Rykard and call it a day. If you kill the boss too early, you break the quest. You’ve gotta be patient.
Finding Rya in Liurnia (The Prawn Scandal)
You’ll first run into Rya—who is hunched over like she’s got a permanent backache—in a stone gazebo in Liurnia of the Lakes. She’s just north of the Laskyar Ruins. She tells you some "thug" stole her necklace.
Go find Blackguard Big Boggart at the Boilprawn Shack. He’s the guy sitting by a pot of prawns. You have two choices here:
- Buy the necklace for 1,000 Runes. This is the "correct" way because it opens up Boggart’s shop and his own quest later.
- Kill him. You get the necklace, but you lose out on some of the best crab in the game. Don't be that guy.
Take the necklace back to Rya. She’ll give you the Volcano Manor Invitation. This is your ticket to the big leagues.
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The Altus Plateau Hand-Off
Once you make it to the Altus Plateau, Rya shows up again. If you took the Grand Lift of Dectus, she’s standing right by the exit. If you took the "coward’s path" (the Ruin-Strown Precipice), she’s near the Erdtree-Gazing Hill.
She offers to teleport you straight to Volcano Manor. Take her hand. It saves you a massive hike through Mt. Gelmir, which is basically just a giant deathtrap of fire and falling rocks.
The Big Reveal: Zorayas
After you join the Volcano Manor and do the first assassination for Tanith, go find Rya. She’s in one of the drawing rooms. She’ll mention she’s heard slithering behind the walls.
After the second assassination, things get weird.
Instead of a slouching girl, you’ll find a giant snake-person in the room. This is Zorayas, Rya’s true form. She’s nervous. She thinks you’ll hate her. Honestly, compared to some of the stuff you've seen in Caelid, a snake in a dress is pretty chill. Talk to her, then talk to Tanith about it. Tanith will ask you to be kind to her daughter.
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Entering the Secret Town
You need to find the "dark side" of the Manor. In the room next to Rya, there’s an illusory wall. Hit it. This leads you into Prison Town, a sub-area filled with lizard-men and lava.
Follow the path until you reach the Temple of Eiglay. You’ll have to fight a Godskin Noble here. He’s the fat one. Once he’s dead, pick up the Serpent’s Amnion on the altar.
This item is the "truth" about Rya’s birth. Give it to her. She’ll realize she wasn't born of grace but was the result of a ritual. She disappears.
The Three Endings for Rya
You’ll find her hiding in a small room under the bridge near the Temple of Eiglay. You have to take the elevator up, jump off halfway, and find the secret room across the lava. She’s devastated and asks you to kill her.
Option 1: Kill her. You get the Daedicar’s Woe talisman immediately. It’s a terrible ending. She dies thinking she’s a monster. Don’t do this.
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Option 2: Give her the Tonic of Forgetfulness. Tanith gives you this potion. If you give it to Rya, she falls asleep. After you kill Rykard, she’ll be back in the Manor but she won’t remember anything. It’s "happy" in a lobotomy sort of way.
Option 3: Do nothing (The Best Ending). Refuse to kill her. Refuse to give her the potion. Go kill Rykard. Come back to her hiding spot. She’ll thank you for being kind. She realizes she can choose her own path. Reload the area, and she’ll be gone, leaving behind Zorayas's Letter and the talisman.
She goes off into the world to find herself. In a game where everyone ends up as a pile of ash or a headless corpse, a girl going on a road trip is the ultimate win.
Next Steps for Your Journey
To ensure you don't miss the final rewards, make sure you exhaust all dialogue with Tanith before she leaves the Manor. If you haven't yet defeated the Godskin Noble, prep some Sleep Pots; it makes the fight significantly easier. Once you have the Daedicar's Woe, keep it in your inventory—it's more of a lore piece than a useful item, as it doubles the damage you take.