Hello all, apologies if this is not the correct subreddit, but you guys are the lore experts so it feels appropriate. TLDR at the bottom.
My tarnished started out as a simple wanderer who came across the most impressive enemies (imo) in the base game; none other than the Crucible Knights. She explored far and wide, collecting all crucible incantations, ashes of war, armor sets, and unique weapons (Silurias tree and Ordovis great sword).
In the pursuit of becoming a crucible knight herself, she learned more about the crucible itself and saw what the lands between had become. The true turning point is when her Maiden became burned and bodiless. The tarnished started seriously questioning her path and the Golden Order.
In the process of acquiring the Silurias tree spear, the tarnished ventured deep below Leyndell in order to access Deeproot Depths. There, she saw some of the atrocities committed by Marika and her Golden Order (the merchants and the omens being shunned). This is where the madness started.
As the tarnished defeats Mohg and descends into the land of shadow, she cannot help to think about the grotesque door that silently calls to her. As she progresses through the DLC, she slowly loses her sanity as she confronts the horrible history of the world. Mesmer's forced crusade and banishment, the hornsent's crimes against the Shamans, the reveal of Metyr and all of the implications with the Golden Order...
Finally, she stumbles into Midra's domain. After defeating him she fully devolves into madness (larval tear time). For the rest of the DLC, she embraces the frenzied flame. Her main obstacle is Miquella; if he ascends to Godhood then there would be one who could stop the age of chaos. The ultimate goal is to burn the world into a new melting pot, a new crucible (the tarnished is delusional and ignores the warnings that no new life would grow from such an act).
The tarnished completes the DLC, but is once more sent into deep grief when she has to kill the few friends she has made along the way. Fighting Moore, Leda, Thiollier and Ansbach makes her realize that they are all doing what they believe is right. She remembers her maiden, and decides to stop Miquella, and then pursue a cure to the madness.
She uses the power of the frenzied flame to defeat Malenia and Dragonlord Placidusax, and cleanses the Frenzied Flame using Miquella's needle.
Considering all of this, what would be a thematic end to this playthrough? I know the Age of Stars ending is considered the "best", but I'm not sure at this point what endings I'm locked out of. I have not burned down the capital yet.
If it's not obvious yet, I love changing the build to fit my head canon lore of what the tarnished is going through. There is pretty much no one that is "right" in the lands between, so after curing the frenzied flame I'm not sure that the tarnished is looking up to anyone at all. Perhaps just Dane's footwork build and just a can of whoop ass for Maliketh, Godfrey, Radagon/Beast? If you've had the patience to read through my madenned ramblings thank you, and do you have any suggestions?
TLDR; Tarnished becomes a crucible knight, renounces it due to facing atrocities, aims to become lord of frenzy, changes her mind and cures herself with Miquella's needle. How to finish the playthrough in a thematic way?