Caelid is the infamously difficult and visually disturbing eastern region of the Lands Between in the 2022 game Elden Ring. Known for its oppressive red sky, pools of life-draining Scarlet Rot, and monstrously mutated crows and dogs, it quickly became a central theme in the gaming community's collective trauma. The Caelid meme typically revolves around the shock and immediate death players experience when they accidentally wander into the area early in the game or via a 'trap' chest. It serves as a visual shorthand for entering a hostile, terrifying environment that you are completely unprepared for, often used to describe real-life situations that go from bad to worse instantly.