So with Wicked Inside, we got a tad bit more info on the plague on Isola Sacra and how it effects things. One of the main things I was focused on lore-wise was how it effects what we fight as bosses. In the showcase we see the gameplay of the Cerim fighting Warrick the Torn and Gennadiy mentions that he has “been left to fester and mutate.”
This got me thinking if the victims of the plague get stronger and lose more of their humanity the longer they’re left infected, or if the type of person or thing infected by the plague predetermines how strong of an infected they will be. (For example; personalities, body structure, aggression BEFORE infection, etc.)
I was for either of these theories. But, in an earlier trailer we see a massive infected bear which eventually splits open to reveal a human(ish) female torso inside. I’m not sure how simply leaving an infected bear long enough would cause a human female torso to appear, nor how any of the characteristics mentioned above would cause this either.
It could be that the “plague” itself is sentient and crafts hosts to be whatever it wants to be, or that the plague is caused by someone and they determine how an infected host will mutate?
Any additional thoughts? I’m looking forward to delving more into the lore of Isola Sacra as it’s seemingly a beautifully grotesque world which has (hopefully) equally beautiful lore.
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Great write-up! As you mentioned, the pestilent bear certainly feels like a smoking gun. My only additions:
- In the Dev Trailer Breakdown, Korol refers to the entity inside the bear as a ‘Witch’. Could be nothing, or could be suggestive of a few interesting things!
- Maybe the pestilence is capable of both transforming hosts into monsters and producing new hosts from the original’s remains. If so, then ‘Witch’ could reflect the canonical definition for ‘a woman birthed or mutated by the pestilence’.
- On a very different angle, ‘Witch’ could suggest that this woman being inside the bear was premeditated, a dark ritual to more directly draw-in the plague’s power.
Probably a bit of both, but certainly skewing towards a person / faction pulling the strings. That would definitely be a natural shape for conflict in the story, but the main promo art might hint at this too: depicting a spiral formed from many arms (some mutated, some not), with a red jewel at the center like the eye of a storm. We see this red jewel on Baurus’ necklace and in the iconography of the Church. Seems likely that this jewel will have some connection to the cause / control of the pestilence.
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The most obvious route is the pestilence is the church’s doing. Magnus & Selene need something to prove themself and the Church’s hold information about the Torn. Selene told us that knowledge about the Cerim is forbidden, so it wouldn’t be that far fetched if there are other forbidden knowledge like tornification and bow to control it. I won’t be surprised if the inquisition priest/soldier that cover half of their faces are actually half-torn or something.
But I think that’s just cliche. I personally want Selene to be good and probably just misguided/manipulated.
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Agree, really hoping to see the story not played hyper-straight / cartoonish in that way, especially since Selene is the most interesting character by miles.
Other characters feel very flat; hoping Baurus can bring some intrigue.
Inquisitors using a generic “evil whisper voice” doesn’t give me a ton of hope haha.