It’s no secret that Crimson Desert’s story, which revolves around protagonist Kliff attempting to reunite the Greymanes, is a jumbled mess. The CEO of the game’s developer Pearl Abyss, Heo Jin-young, admitted as much in a press conference where he acknowledged “the disappointment users feel regarding the story” and admitted that “we could have done a better job with it,” as reported by Yonhap News Agency.
Even by the end of the fifth chapter in the main questline, the game doesn’t provide that much context to who the Greymanes are, why the Black Bears are after them, and what exactly happened that led up to the opening cutscene. It’s not until the middle of the game in Chapter 7, along with additional tidbits of lore, that the game fills in some of the blanks on what actually motivates Kliff and his fellow Greymanes. In fact, Crimson Desert actually has an interesting story to tell about them; it’s just hidden within the submenus and told in a frustratingly disjointed way that is begging to be entangled.
Who exactly are the Greymanes anyway?
The Greymanes are one of several tribal factions in Pailune, a region north of the starting area of Hernand, who were charged with being the protectors of the land. They are known for being more or less helpful heroes for hire, at least when compared to the two other clans in Pailune, the Black Bears and the Jackals (more on them later). And they are expert swordsmen, which is partly why Kliff is seen in cutscenes wielding a sword and shield (instead of the game’s many other weapons). The clan doesn’t seem to have an outright leader, per se, though Kliff is one of the main pillars of the group given his steadfast demeanor and prowess in combat.
One of the most significant events that impact the Greymanes but isn’t explained in the early part of the game is the untimely death of Jian (pronounced Jee-ahn), the leader of Pailune who managed to unify the clans together and bring peace and prosperity to the region. It’s unclear whether the Greymanes acted like a do-gooder mercenary band before Jian effectively became the head chief, but they certainly become known for safeguarding Pailune and its people during his reign. That said, the first time we hear about this mysterious figure is when Myurdin, the head of the Black Bears, tells Kliff to “give Jian my regards” as he flings him into the river in the opening cutscenes.
Beyond that, Jian isn’t mentioned much in the early chapters, despite him being one of the few characters who ties Kliff and Myurdin together — and by extension, the Greymanes and the Black Bears as well. In his journal, which Kliff receives later in the game, Jian describes the Greymanes as “valued allies” who he considers sending to Hernand to form an alliance before the events in the opening cutscene. By the way, this suggests that Jian is not actually the specific leader of the Greymanes (unlike what’s being stated elsewhere), since he uses the word “allies” here instead of, say, “fellow Greymanes.” Rather, he seems to lead them in general as the head of state for Pailune.
At any rate, Jian posits that Kliff will become a key figure in Pailune’s future and that the Greymanes would help “restrain the Black Bears” given their aggressive tendencies. Despite his better judgment, he hastily unites the Greymanes, the “wild and untamed” Black Bears, and the opportunistic Jackals under one banner in response to the bloody rise of Gabriel Caliburn in the neighboring region of Demeniss. He also makes moves to form alliances with Hernand, Delesyia, and Celphade to varying degrees of success.
While this is a very reasonable choice (as we learn later in the game), this ultimately leads to Jian’s downfall. He fails to act quickly enough when he learns that the Black Bears, led by the power-hungry Myurdin is “consorting with powers beyond our borders.” And he overlooks Ludvig, the leader of the Jackals, who is envious of the Greymanes and whose loyalties change with the wind. (During an encounter with the Jackals, I heard one of them accuse Kliff of being “Jian’s lapdog,” revealing how they really feel about the Greymanes.)
Kliff’s journey is a revenge story on multiple levels
So as fate would have it, Jian is assassinated during a surprise raid by the Black Bears, with aid from the Jackals. His sudden death fractures Pailune, and the Greymanes along with it.
The Black Bears take the opportunity to pounce on the Greymanes while many of its members are spread throughout the continent of Pywel and continue to hound them until the main group is forced to retreat to a cabin in the game’s prologue. It’s important to note that this cabin is actually far away from Pailune and is situated somewhere between Hernand and Demeniss, which shows just how desperate and flat-footed the Greymanes are at the start. Despite a valiant effort, Kliff is surrounded by the Black Bears and mortally wounded by Myurdin before being thrown into the river and left for dead.
Without the protection of the Greymanes, Pailune descends into chaos. Under the tyranny of the Black Bears and the Jackals, many of its citizens are shoved into cages and sold as slaves. This is why Kliff is given the faction quest “To the Rescue” near the beginning of the game as it is his unspoken duty, in defiance of Myurdin and Ludvig, to save the people of Pailune from their machinations.
To exact revenge on Myurdin, not only for killing Jian and his fellow Greymanes but also for taking their homeland by force, he needs to gather the remaining Greymanes together and is advised to form alliances with the leaders of Hernand, a place where they have little to no standing at the start. The upside, though, is that Kliff is far from Pailune and out of the Black Bears’ reach, which allows the Greymanes to recover their strength until their eventual clash in Chapter 6.
On a personal level, Kliff doesn’t seem to have a close relationship with Jian, or at least that’s what Torstein, who was Jian’s vice captain of the guards, says about him. However, the game’s description says that the Greymane “feels the weight of his absence,” revealing that he has a deeper connection to him than his stoic personality would suggest. When Torstein tells Kliff to take Wolf’s Fang, the blade once owned by Jian that “symbolizes justice and determination,” he formally and spiritually accepts the mission to carry Jian’s will and expunge the betrayers in his stead. Even before that, the Greymanes are never seen mourning Jian’s death, as if they can’t allow themselves to do so until retribution is met. In effect, Kliff cannot move on until their honor is restored.
