Lurien

"Though my gaze shall no longer fall upon this city, I will act forever in its protection."

- Lurien the Watcher

Lurien the Watcher is an NPC in Hollow Knight. He is one of the Dreamers and is involved in the Knight's quest to destroy the Infection.

Lore Lurien used to watch over the City of Tears from Watcher's Spire. The Watcher Knights were his guards, and he had various servants such as his butler. At the top of his spire, Lurien had a large telescope that looks down over the City of Tears, contributing to his title of "The Watcher".

After the Infection appeared, Lurien became part of the Pale King's plan to seal the Radiance away in the Hollow Knight. He volunteered to be a Dreamer out of loyalty to the Pale King and to protect the City of Tears and the kingdom of Hallownest. Lurien and the other Dreamers sealed the entrance to the Black Egg in the Temple of the Black Egg, which put them into an eternal sleep.

In-game events Lurien appears as a projection together with the other Dreamers in both Greenpath and the Resting Grounds. Unlike Monomon the Teacher, Lurien wants their Seals to remain. He and the other Dreamers attempt to lock the Knight in the Dream Realm after the Resting Grounds encounter.

Once the Knight reaches his physical body in the Watcher's Spire after defeating the Watcher Knights, his mind can be entered by using the Dream Nail. He can then be attacked in his Dream after which Focus can be used to break his Seal. His physical body will have disappeared when the Knight wakes up.

Location
Lurien's physical body is located in Watcher's Spire in the City of Tears. The Watcher Knights need to be defeated to reach him.

Trivia

 * When Lurien has been killed all the previously lit candles in his chamber will have been extinguished after exiting his dream.
 * There is a hidden room in Watcher's Spire which contains Lurien's journal. It can be accessed after taking the lift up to Lurien and breaking the third statue.
 * Early in development Lurien was known as "Lurian, The Whisperer".
 * Like the rest of the Dreamers, Lurien has numerous unused lines of dialogue which can still be found in the game's files.
 * When trying to attack Lurien's physical body in Watcher's Spire, a Seal appears over his body.
 * Internally, Lurien has a suggestion of a relationship with another character in the game that is never hinted at in any of the visible lore. Team Cherry did not add this to the game because they did not want to reveal too much about some of the Dreamers.

References