Who is the woman beneath the Witchbane Ruins in Elden Ring?

There’s a strange mystery beneath the Witchbane Ruins in Elden Ring, with players left to wonder who the woman is that’s chained up in the cellar.

Warning: Spoilers ahead for Elden Ring side-quests.

The Witchbane Ruins are found on the Weeping Peninsula, south of the Fourth Church of Marika. There are a couple of items to be picked up and enemies to slay, but the true mystery involves an NPC who is held captive beneath the Witchbane Ruins in Elden Ring.

So who is it chained up underneath the Witchbane Ruins and is there any way to save them? Here are the details.

Sellen is trapped under the Witchbane Ruins in Elden Ring

Sorceress Sellen, an NPC who can be met earlier in the game, is imprisoned under the Witchbane Ruins.

Sorceress Sellen is an NPC that first appears in the Waypoint Ruins in western Limgrave. After defeating a Mad Pumpkin Head mini-boss, the player meets this mysterious character who offers to teach them sorceries. Sellen is highly important as the first sorcery teacher that players can find in Elden Ring and her inventory can be upgraded by giving her scrolls.

Sellen also has a long questline of her own that reveals exactly why she is both here and in the Waypoint Ruins in Limgrave. Sellen’s true body is on the Weeping Peninsula, with the Waypoint Ruins version of herself being something akin to an astral projection. Sellen mentions that she was expelled from Raya Lucaria Academy, and that her body has been trapped in the Witchbane ruins as a result of that.

The Witchbane Ruins version of Sellen is pinned to the wall by crystals there’s no way to help her until advancing Sellen’s questline forward. Eventually, she will send the player to her real body which advances the questline forward.

Eventually, the player will need to choose between advancing Sellen’s questline forward or working with someone else. But if players find their way to the Witchbane Ruins early on, there’s no need to worry about saving