Leyndell, the capital city of Elden Ring's Lands Between, has a Roundtable Hold located within its walls. This replica of the Roundtable Hold that players are used to visiting in the main playthrough raises some questions about the Shattering event in Elden Ring. Its destructive remains tell a story about the past in the Lands Between, and it might just connect some dots back to other characters still held up in the active Roundtable Hold.
Once players progress far enough into Elden Ring's storyline, they'll be able to visit the Roundtable Hold where other Tarnished NPCs use it as a haven from the powerful demigods. Here the Tarnished protagonist can upgrade weapons, get incantations, buy usable items, and receive information about what to do next (if they get confused along the way). Throughout various stages of the playthrough, the Roundtable Hold begins to unlock new doors, and with that, more information about world details in Elden Ring. Within those details, it's clear that the Roundtable Hold used to be a meeting place for the Golden Order - that is, those charged with protecting the Erdtree and its grace that holds the Lands Between together. The Shattering changed that, however, and the Roundtable Hold isn't exactly what it once was.
Before the Shattering, Leyndell housed the original Roundtable Hold because it was the meeting place for the Golden Order to discuss political matters related to the Lands Between. The now-demolished replica that can still be visited in the capital city is merely its remains. Some might think that this is FromSoftware recycling assets for world-building purposes, but there's a precise reason for its location and incorporation.
The Shattering Desolated Elden Ring's Original Roundtable Hold
When Elden Ring's Queen Marika established the first Elden Lord, Godfrey, in the Lands Between, an order also was made to keep things in check. The so-called Golden Order was that establishment, and the Roundtable Hold was their area of dialogue and council. When writing the story behind Elden Ring, George R.R. Martin undoubtedly looked to the mythological narratives of King Arthur's Roundtable in Camelot to build a similar but unique background for the game. This worked out well, because King Aurthur's fictional world was based on medieval principles and ideas. Leyndell being the capital city of the once-prosperous and peaceful Lands Between meant the united Roundtable Hold was to be held there, but after the Shattering, it was destroyed by the warring demigods and never used again in that realm.
The Roundtable Hold that the Tarnished protagonist in Elden Ring gets to experience might be a mere construct of the Two Fingers in an entirely different realm. What's even more interesting is the fact that two people who used to have roles in the original Roundtable Hold are stuck in the new construct: Alberich and Hewg. In order to free Alberich, players have to defeat him in an invasion-style PvP match. Blacksmith master Hewg, on the other hand, continually tells the protagonist that he's paying off a debt that he promised long ago and won't stop until it's done. This new Roundtable Hold serves as a remembrance, but it's clearly not the same as Elden Ring's first.