The Forlorn are a cult made up primarily Deepwell Facility Inmates, as well as former Authority Personel, who have survived the depths of the Facility.
Origins: Former Deepwell Facility inmates, originally sent as expendable test subjects by the Authority. Some were presumed dead, others escaped but were irreversibly changed by the Facility.
Purpose: Worshipers of The Endless, seeing the anomalies of the Deepwell Facility as divine manifestations and the Facility itself as sacred.
Status: Nomadic and secretive, often inhabiting the deepest, most dangerous areas of the Facility, where they are rarely encountered by Authority personnel.
The Endless as Deity
The Forlorn perceive the Deepwell anomalies as avatars of the Endless.
Death, transformation, and annihilation are sacred, and the facility itself is a holy cathedral of entropy. Themes associated with it -black wire-like tendtrils, spirals, and dark voids- are seen also as holy.
Sacred Suffering
Survival is seen as a test; suffering is purification.
Self-mutilation, ritual bloodletting, and isolation are common practices, meant to attune the body and mind to the Endless.
Obedience to the Facility
The Forlorn do not resist the anomalies; they follow them, interpret their actions, and record their “teachings” in scattered journals or marks on walls.
They treat entity encounters (Apostle, Hemarch, Silhouette) as religious visions rather than threats.
Rituals of Praise
Chanting, hymns, and gestures synchronized with environmental anomalies (ventilation echoes, hallways folding, lights flickering)
Some practices involve sacrifices, often intended to become part of the Endless or summon its attention.
Reverence: Among the anomalies, the Apostle is viewed as the most sacred and terrifying emissary of the Endless. The Forlorn refer to it as the “Monolith of the Endless” and treat sightings as divine omens.
Ritual Interaction:
If the Apostle is nearby, Forlorn will stop all other activity and perform silent, prolonged gestures of worship, often kneeling or bowing in impossible postures.
Some high-ranking Forlorn attempt to “communicate” with it by offering blood, corpses, or ritual objects, though the Apostle never directly interacts.
Behavioral Influence:
Presence of the Apostle drastically amplifies the cult’s fanaticism, causing members to chant longer, move in unison, or become immobile in awe.
Some report that the Apostle’s movements subtly guide Forlorn rituals, almost as if it is shaping the layout of their worship spaces.
Sacred Doctrine:
The Apostle is considered a harbinger of judgment and transcendence. Witnessing it fracture its white eye into red is interpreted as a sign that the Endless is “choosing” whom to spare or claim.
Followers believe that surviving an encounter with the Apostle without being harmed marks one as touched by the Endless, a sign of spiritual favor.
Images of the Apostle are painted often on surfaces of places where the Forlorn have a strong holding in or were passing though.
Clothing: Tattered remnants of Authority-issued jumpsuits, ceremonialized with black or crimson paint, ritual markings, and strips of flesh-like fabric.
Body Modifications:
Tattoos or carved symbols of The Endless, typically of black wire-like tendrils or spirals or of depictions of the Apostle.
Eyes sometimes blackened or obscured as a form of devotion
Some have partial mutations from Deepwell exposure (extra limbs, elongated fingers, filaments growing from skin).
Tools and Artifacts:
Rusted Authority equipment modified for ritual use
Sacrificial knives, ceremonial staffs, confiscated guns and weapons
Small recordings or journals containing anomalous observations
Anomalous powers among those in the higher ranks
Non-Combat: Often passive when encountered, watching or chanting.
Ambush/Defensive:
If threatened, may call on anomalies to protect them (Hemarch, Ventilation Choir)
Engage with weapons only if necessary, using rituals to intimidate or confuse.
Recruitment/Influence: Attempt to convert wandering inmates or Authority agents, offering knowledge of the Deepwell in exchange for devotion.
Madness as Reverence: All members show varying degrees of cognitive alteration; their sanity is intertwined with belief in the Endless.
Memory Distortion: Former life and Authority allegiance are often suppressed or “erased” in favor of cult identity.
Fanatic Devotion: Will perform dangerous acts, including self-sacrifice, if it serves the will of the Endless.
The High Echo: Leader or prophet, usually the oldest surviving Forlorn who has endured the deepest parts of the Deepwell.
Choristers: Medium-ranking members who conduct rituals and maintain contact with anomalies, especially the Ventilation Choir.
Novices / Wanderers: Recent converts or escaped inmates, still learning to interpret the will of the Endless.
Ritual Witnessing: Players stumble upon chanting Forlorn during anomalies, causing temporary sanity effects.
Recruitment Attempt: The cult tries to persuade or forcibly convert the party, using promises of forbidden knowledge.
Summoning Assistance: The Forlorn deliberately lure anomalies (Apostle, Hemarch, Ventilation Choir) toward intruders.
Environmental Guidance: They leave markings and warnings for travelers, which may be cryptic or misleading.
The Forlorn tie together several narrative threads:
Authority’s cruelty: former test subjects turned fanatics
Anomaly worship: humans interpreting cosmic horrors as divine
Psychological horror: extreme devotion and madness as a reflection of the Deepwell’s influence