General Info

[elpenitente]

Credit/Source

Spoilers for the first game and the DLC underneath!



HEY WHO'S THIS GUY
This is the Penitent One, or El Penitente. He is the only surviving member of a congregation known as the Brotherhood of the Silent Sorrow. They have taken a vow of silence in penitence, and he still upholds that as the last one. He takes up the sword, Mea Culpa, which was formed from the guilt of a woman asking the Miracle to punish her for her sins.

He has no face, and no identity beyond being the Penitent One. His goal is to reach the Cradle of Affliction, where the grievous Miracle was birthed from. He battles his way through the land of Cvstodia, enduring the Three Humiliations (boss battles against basically patron saints) to do so, and, uh. He might kind of be out to kill god? Or at least put an end to the Miracle.

Non-game icons are from the work of Francisco Goya, as he was a heavily noted influence on the game and it's artstlye. I think it's a fun way to incorporate an influence, as well as keep the core of the Penitent One in place. What matters is not his face, but his actions. He's just a guy with a sword, who may or may not kill god.

Brief Rundown
-Cvstodia is a "dark, gothic world" that follows a strict religious order. Lots of elements from Spain, where the developers are from. Think Spanish Inquisition with a dash of 'hey, what if asking for a miracle had way more disastrous results, actually?' Add in some medieval imagery and a heap of Catholicism, and you're getting a decent picture of things.

-Cvstodia's religion is basically 'You must suffer greatly for penance', guilt is the biggest driving emotion, and hey what if you combined Catholicism with overt rather than covert body horror and gore? What if???? The answer is 'fucking terrifying patron saints and religious figures who have become empowered by the Miracle.'

-The Miracle happened suddenly in Cvstodia, and proceeded to transform and warp all those that it touched. We're talking miraculous transformations of the flesh, taking the agonies of others upon yourself, prayers being answered in horrific fashion, etc. For example, three sisters wished to escape being married. They prayed to the Miracle for aid. The Miracle replied by turning all three into one being known as Altasgracias. We like Altasgracias, they're very kind!

-The Penitent One is a silent protagonist, but. I can honestly see him communicating through writing, gestures, etc with relative ease, and maybe some variation of sign language. However, Cvstodia's variant of sign language would probably be influenced by Spanish Sign Language, and I am absolutely unfamiliar with it. He'll be scrawling many notes.

-This guy is being played purely from the first Blasphemous Game, stumbling his way through getting the ending added in Wounds of Eventide. He's spoken to the Fourth Visage, knows that all is not as it seems, but is having the worst time dealing with Isidora and Sierpes. He knows his way in Cvstodia, as well as how to operate in a world like that, but an RP world? That's an entirely different ballgame.

-Why yes I did want to toss him at Ryslig and see what clusterfuck would result, how did u know. Consider the Penitent One only breaking his vow of silence that he maintains even in-game, with no sounds of pain at all, when the Fog changes him for the first time. CONSIDER. And also the hopelessness of trying to defy the Miracle/put a stop to it, and getting so close to snuffing it out only to be tugged away into the world of a different Miracle AND your form of worship lines up a bit too much with the preexisting structure.

UNWILLING FOG PRIEST WHO FEELS LIKE HE HAS NO CHOICE, LETS GOOOOO