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Please read at your own risk. |
Now, in the words of the great poet Dingus Dangus Dongus... 'Piss off, would you kindly?'
Ezrebeth, Act 2 of Pitstop in Purgatory
Ezrebeth is the main protagonist of Ezrebeth (A Holiday Mindfudge) and a side character in Pitstop in Purgatory.
Bitter and easily annoyed, she just wants people to leave her alone. Unfortunately, her abilties end up attracting a lot more attention than she would like.
Appearance[]
In Pitstop in Purgatory, Ezrebeth appears as a shadow. She wears something similar to a shirt and has shoulder-length hair.
In Ezrebeth (A Holiday Mindfudge), it is possible to see her appearance when alive. She was short in stature, had white hair and wore small golden earrings. She also wore a white shirt under a red one, a gold accessory and a crucifix.
Personality[]
Ezrebeth is a mean, bitter, annoyed lady, carrying a colorful language every conversation she enters.
In her game, it is possible to understand more about the reasons that contributed to it: her traumatic childhood, insensitive relatives and a long sequence of "shitty situations" - as she calls it - that made her become who she is.
However, in the DLC of Pitstop in Purgatory, after overcoming her own hardships, she reveals another side: a friendly, easy-smiling, and even a bit flirtatious person.
Before Pitstop In Purgatory[]
Ezrebeth (A Holiday Mindfudge)[]
Loop 0[]
On some day in the early 21st Century, during the winter holidays, Ezrebeth wakes up to the sound of the doorbell. Unfortunately, the visit is from her sister Begonia, the person she hates the most in the world.
Ezrebeth gives a cold welcome, emphasizing how she doesn't want company, and Begonia tries to deflect the issue stating that she brought a gift. Although Ezrebeth doesn't reject the gift, she has nothing to give in return, so she tries once again to throw her sister out of the house, in vain. Begonia insists on staying for coffee, and Ezrebeth grudgingly relents.
Begonia wonders why she is so insistent on isolating herself despite having a sister, a husband, a son and a grandson, and Ezrebeth says that it is none of her business. Besides, it's not like she doesn't know what made her give up on trying to socialize.
Begonia admits that nothing she can do or say will make things better, but reassures that she loves her, and maybe everything that was done in the past was been motivated by envy of Ezrebeth's abilities, individuality, family... while she had nothing. Ezrebeth agrees and sends her away once more. This time, Begonia ends up accepting.
When she leaves, Ezrebeth starts to wonder how broken Begonia sounded, admitting her superiority and all. Sounds too good to be true, specially considering she's never been nice before. Thinking about it, Ezrebeth starts to get suspicious, but before she can think of anything else, the doorbell rings once more.
This time, Ishobello and his son Volumnius enter the scene. He introduces himself formally and tells the boy to do the same, but he ends up speaking very low. Ishobello scolds him and tells him to speak up, then Vol apologizes and speaks in an audible tone.
Ezrebeth, not surprisingly, despises them as well. She tries to understand why the two are there, since she hates them, but ends up letting the two in. Ishobello points out the fact that her calendar still says 'August', and she says she marks the days daily, just out of season. Ishobello tries to argue, but she tells him to mind his own business.
Changing the subject, Ishobello reveals that they brought a gift. Ezrebeth says that not having bankrupted the hospital so far is gift enough, and ends up admitting (to herself) that despite his socially awkward ways, he does his job very efficiently. She refuses to tell that, though.
The father asks his son to bring the gift, and he says he forgot it in the car. Ishobello gets annoyed, and asks how he expects to become a hero if he can't manage such a simple responsibility. Ezrebeth finds the word hero strange, and his father explains that Volumnius believes that doctors are heroes, that's why he wants to become like one. However, for him, reality is that medicine is just a profession like any other, which only achieves results through the coordinated effort of a team of professionals. Such coldness makes the boy a little upset, but Ishobello tells him to swallow that truth and go get the present at once.
Ezrebeth asks if he is channeling his experiences into the boy and he is quick to say yes, admitting that maybe his words are a little cruel but they will make him a better man and that he will surely thank him someday. The woman finds it ironic, and points to the fact that he never thanked her or her father for teaching him. Ishobello is taken aback, and ends up thanking her for all the guidance during his childhood. Ezrebeth just ignores him.
She takes the opportunity to ask how his wife is doing, and he says he doesn't want to talk about it. At that moment, Volumnius arrives with the gift. It's a bottle of distilled whiskey (Eau de Savedalia from 1987). Ezrebeth can't contain a smile - something frightening for little Vol - and Ishobello asks her how she liked the present. Unfortunately, her smile is mocking the quality of the bottle, since it's terrible.
Mocking both the gift and the giver, she sends them away again, reaffirming how much she wants to be alone and how he has failed both to respect that and to provide even the least bit of rewarding companionship. Ishobello is speechless, but Volumnius defends him.
The boy complains about the lack of kindness she has, and despite his father's efforts to silence him, Ezrebeth ends up agreeing to the surprise of both.
The two retreat after that, leaving her alone. Ezrebeth reflects on how she is unlikeable, but how that was the only option she had considering her inability to get along with other people. She finds it strange that her family still wants to come there, considering her choices, but doesn't have time to think about it anymore because, again, the doorbell rings.
Who appears is Charta, Ezrebeth's husband and the only person she doesn't hate. He says he bumped into Ishobello outside, and comments that he didn't look very happy, and appeals to the fact that although she sees him as a disappointment, he is still the only child they have. Ezrebeth tries to explain that she's trying her best, but that her shitty situation doesn't help. He points to the colorful language that is popping up more frequently in her vocabulary, but that despite not finding it appropriate, he reaffirms that he wouldn't stop loving her because of it.
Though she appreciates his kind words, Ezrebeth has a hard time dealing with them. She can't understand how Charta stayed with her, considering how long he was in love with Begonia, and he asks her to stop dwelling on this insecurity.
Once again Ezrebeth recalls her hatred towards the Casarecce family, the torments Begonia put her through in the past, and ends up bringing into the conversation a memory of when she was younger. She reminisces a time when one of her parent's friends came to their home, recently widowed, and when she shook his hand, she felt an intense hatred and just knew he had killed his wife. First people didn't believe her, but later, he was arrested and the fact was brought to public. He had indeed killed his wife, and that was the trigger of a great social boycott against Ezrebeth for her strange abilities.
The only person who was kind to her in her entire life was Charta. Ezrebeth thinks it's odd because she doesn't remember how she got him to give up on Begonia or even their marriage, and he claims that his change of heart wasn't her doing, but by his own mental capacity.
Despite greatly enjoying his company, Charta's presence begins to stir Ezrebeth's emotions, forcing her to ask for some time alone. He understands, says he's going to spend the rest of the night with Ishobello and Vol, and takes his leave. And even though she wants him to spend some more time, Ezrebeth says goodbye too.
Exhausted from so many social interactions, she marks her calendar to end the day, and goes to sleep. However, once again the doorbell rings, waking her up. Ezrebeth goes to the door to see who it is, and finds no one. However, upon returning inside, she notices that there is a shadow on her window.
Interacting with the shadow, Ezrebeth starts yelling at it, demanding that whoever it is identify themselves. The shadow pops up inside the room, startling the owner of the house, but rather than worrying about her reaction it is actually more concerned with the fact that Ezrebeth can see it.
Ezrebeth says it's their fault, since they were the ones who rang her bell, and the shadow apologizes, saying it needs to work harder, and warns that this might hurt a bit. Before Ezrebeth can understand anything, she is transported to a poor and dirty little room. But it doesn't stay there for long, as it quickly goes away, rewinding everything back to the beginning.
At first, it seems like nothing has changed. Ezrebeth repeats the same lines as the first time, as does Begonia. However, when she opens the door and the two greet each other, Ezrebeth notices something is wrong.
Begonia denies any claims of having paid a visit the day before, but despite her best efforts to allay Ezrebeth's concerns, she throws her out of the house in a rage.
The same thing happens with the next visit. Ishobello and Volumnius repeat the same things as before and when Ezrebeth realizes this, she starts to blurt words of spite out.
She throws them both out of the house, thinking that this is all a scheme between them and Begonia to torment her. However, when the doorbell rings once more, Ezrebeth's anger gives way to sadness.
Unable to believe that Charta could be involved, she sends him away, less vehemently than previous guests, as she holds back tears. Of all the visitors, he was the only one she hadn't expected to join the scheme, so his visit stings like a betrayal. Trying to understand what caused this change in behavior gives Ezrebeth a headache, and she again finds herself in the dark and poor room she was before.
She recognizes the place, remembering the conversation she had with the strange shadow, but soon returns to her home again. The strangeness of the situation makes her question her sanity, and she decides to look for something that might try to make sense of what's going on. Searching the room, she notices two things: her shopping list, which changed to "Don't trust the lady in white" instead of the original "list", and the calendar, which she had crossed the day, is reset. All these inconsistencies make her come to a suspicion:
She decides to sleep again to reset the loop and make sure. When she wakes up, her fears are confirmed: the date is reset again and Begonia is waiting for her outside, just like the day before. Unsatisfied with this situation, she feels the need to do something, despite not knowing what exactly.
Loop 1[]
During this loop, Ezrebeth decides to use a new strategy: instead of being the usual sullen woman, she tries to use niceness to try to acquire information from her relatives.
In each loop, she acquires new information which she notes in her Codex. These clues can be collected in different orders and even in different loops, but they are all essential to the unfolding of the plot.
For more specific information about the lore and other interactions, see each Ezrebeth character pages.
In loop 1 the player needs to interact with the following items/perform the following actions with each relative in order to progress:
Begonia
- Psychic touch: Using Psychic Touch on her, it shows her feelings of regret, sadness, confusion, and no malice... Which is completely absurd to Ezrebeth, considering who Begonia was in the first place.
- Scenary
- Family Photograph: When Ezrebeth interacts with it, she can't remember where or when it was taken. But that's not the strangest thing. The weird part is that she looks happy in their company. [This interaction is also available when other characters are visiting.]
- A Warning: Interacting with it makes Ezrebeth notice that the warning she found earlier seems to be gone. [This interaction is also available when other characters are visiting.]
- Vase of Cinquefoil: Begonia reveals that it was actually her idea to give those flowers to Ezrebeth, but since she wouldn't accept from her directly, she gave the idea to Charta. She also comments about all its great qualities and mentions that the flower's health is tied to the owner's.
- Clues
- Family Photo: Ezrebeth asks Begonia when that photo was taken, and she says it was in the week before. Ezrebeth stills finds it strange, since it was so recently and she can't remember.
Ishobello
- Scenary
- Cruel World: When interacting with it, Ishobello steps in to praise Ezrebeth's taste in art. While he is commenting on the painting and its mysterious artist, he says that the title of the painting is "Wonderful World", two times. Ezrebeth corrects him, but thinks it's strange to someone so educated in art to make such mistake.
- Clues
- The Date: When Ezrebeth tries to ask about her calendar, Ishobello mentions that it hasn't changed since their last visit last year. Ezrebeth is sure that she didn't have a calendar at the time, but he insists that she had.
- Family Photo: Ishobello reveals that the photo was taken in Casarecce Manor, his house, and it's surprising for both him and Ezrebeth that she actually went all the way there.
- Gift of Whiskey: [You need to Talk to Volumnius about 'Your Gift for Me' to unlock this one] Ezrebeth asks which year was better for Eau de Savedalia, 1986 or 1987, and Ishobello laughs at the obvious answer: 1986. He also says that would be really difficult for someone to mistake the bottles and end up buying the wrong one.
Volumnius
- Talk about something
- Your Gift for Me: Ezrebeth asks Volumnius to hand over the gift, and he brings her an Eau de Savedalia from 1986, which is a fantastic drink, completely different from last time. She assumes that the drink changed after the reset, but doesn't know why or how.
Charta
- Clues
- A Warning: Ezrebeth asks Charta if he has seen someone dressed in white recently, and he denies, specifying that he hasn't seen any woman matching that description. But Ezrebeth didn't specify gender when she asked...
- Gift of Whiskey: Ezrebeth asks if Charta likes Eau de Savedalia and he says it's one of his favorites. He comments how the 1986 was discontinued long ago, being very improbable to get it today.
After discovering all these clues and saying goodbye to everyone, Ezrebeth is once again transported to the poor room. She wonders why she keeps seeing that room and the mysterious shadow from before appears.
They insist that Ezrebeth needs to stop what she is doing because she will find only misery and unhappiness. The shadow says that by staying where she is, Ezrebeth will remain happy, and Ezrebeth retorts, saying that it is not possible for anyone to believe that she is happy in the situation she is in. The shadow says that that's going to be the happiest that she'll ever be, and once again tells her to stop.
Before the shadow disappears, Ezrebeth comes to a conclusion.
But before she can do anything with that information, her vision clears and the loop starts again.
Loop 2[]
In loop 2 the player needs to interact with the following items/perform the following actions with each relative in order to progress:
Begonia
- Clues
- Cruel World: Ezrebeth asks if Begonia knows anything about RT, the painter who made Cruel World, and she says that no one ever saw them in flesh, but there is a story about a young girl who claimed to be an apprentice of RT. She lost her sight when seeing their glowing white clothes, beautiful beyond the limits of human understanding. Shortly after that, she died. Though nothing about this story is confirmed.
Charta
- Clues
- Cruel World: Ezrebeth tells Charta the story of RT's apprentice, and he agains refers to RT as "her". Noticing this, Ezrebeth starts to fear that he is hiding something from her.
After this, Ezrebeth draws a conclusion on Charta.
As hard as it is to admit, Charta's slips are increasingly suspicious. Ezrebeth accuses him of knowing that the warning note referred to a female despite her not specifying it, and that he also knows that RT is female.
He tries to deny it, saying they were mere coincidences, and she insists that in all those years since they met he rarely stumbled or slipped up, and that now he did so two times talking about the same thing. For some time he still tries to keep himself in character, until he finally gives up. Suddenly they are back in the dirty room, Charta now in the form of a shadow.
He reveals that she doesn't have a husband, and that thanks to her insistence on finding out the truth, she is one step away from ruining everything. Ezrebeth, still confused by the whole situation, tries to get answers, and he drops a hint.
He says goodbye, and the loop restarts.
Loop 3[]
In order to progress, the player needs to perform the following actions in order to progress:
Ishobello
- Clues
- Gift of Whiskey: Ezrebeth confronts him directly about the whiskey he brought. Again, he confuses the years, and that is more than enough to make her draw a conclusion.
Ezrebeth confronts Ishobello, ordering him to stop playing dumb. She accuses him of having lied about the calendar and points out his constant contradictions, asking who he really is after all. Without trying to defend himself, he admits the truth. Again they are transported to the run-down old room, where he reveals that, like Charta, he is actually a shadow.
"Nor does this little thing standing next to me."
The personalities of both are very different from the roles they play in the loops, which gives Ezrebeth a shock of reality. Ishobello says she's that much closer to discovering the truth, but that she won't like what she will find. Volumnius then gives another hint.
He says maybe Begonia has something to say about them. Ezrebeth then questions why they are helping her, when they don't want her to find out the truth. They say it's not about what they want, it's about what she wants.
Ezrebeth wonders what that means, but before finding an answer they say goodbye and the loop starts again.
Loop 4[]
Ezrebeth starts the loop more confused than before.
She looks at the plants and notices that they look tired, as if the life is slowly going out of them. But that seems to make no sense, considering that time keeps repeating itself.
Begonia rings the doorbell again, and Ezrebeth snarls her in, impatient to find out the truth.
The player needs to ask Begonia about the Cinquefoil clue in order to go on.
When she asks about the flowers, Begonia notices that they are dying, and becomes concerned about Ezrebeth's mental state. Ezrebeth finds Begonia's faith in the plant's "magical" qualities strange, but she says that considering the fact that she grew up with a magical "sister", at least towards the end of her life she began to believe in these things more. However, mid-conversation, Begonia falls silent. Then, Ezrebeth is finally able to draw a conclusion.
Before she can accuse her of anything, Begonia starts to admit the truth.
She says it was nice to meet her, and that thanks to the other shadows it was very obvious from the start that something was wrong. However, she doesn't think it's their fault, as they were just following RT's orders.
Begonia takes the opportunity to ask what gave it away, and Ezrebeth admits that from the beginning she noticed that she didn't act the same as the real Begonia, and that the way she acknowledged her abilities was really odd.
Ezrebeth was unable to believe that she had changed so much, especially considering that, during the physic touch, she didn't feel any malice. There are limits to how much a person can change, and this confirmed her suspicion that she wasn't her sister.
Begonia seems a little taken aback by Ezrebeth's reasoning, but relents. Then, the two return to the same room that Ezrebeth has seen so many times.
The shadow asks if Ezrebeth knows that place, and she says she doesn't. Begonia thinks she's lying, but when Ezrebeth admits that she really doesn't remember, she thinks for a while and comes to the conclusion that she's repressing her memory.
Begonia says maybe some memories are necessary for people to be themselves, while others are just painful. Ezrebeth tries to insist that she is not repressing anything, and Begonia brushes it off, giving the final clue.
And she claims that "When you wish upon a star, she's going to know where you are."
Final loop[]
Ezrebeth's vision fades again, and this time, even the beginning of the loop appears broken. Ezrebeth finds herself in the living room of her house again, and decides to look at the photo.
She is not in the photo.
Amidst confusion and despair, Ezrebeth tries to remember Begonia's words. However, before she even succeeds, her doorbell rings aggressively, indicating that RT is there.
Ezrebeth starts by asking if that's their real name, and the shadow seems disappointed by the question.
Faced with this statement, Ezrebeth is surprised by the possibility that RT is not human. Responding to her previous question, RT says they doesn't have a name, but they've been called that by people for quite some time.
Following the conversation, RT says that she's been watching Ezrebeth several days in that house, trying to learn about humans. Out of patience, Ezrebeth yells at the shadow, demanding an explanation, and RT decides to reveal themselves.
She admits that she planted all the clues so that she could discover the truth. By the time Ezrebeth found out about the loops, she had to tweak the whole scenario to keep her happy, because that's her job.
Ezrebeth asks if all that is real, and RT says it's as real as it gets for her at this point. Noting that the woman does not understand the answer, RT reveals that, in fact, Ezrebeth is dead.
Obviously, she is completely shocked, although RT sees nothing wrong with that.
RT says she's watched Ezrebeth's life and jokes that she's seen less traumatizing horror movies (although she herself doesn't handle scary things very well). She says that even though life is bad, at some point you have to take responsibility and confront your own demons. Ezrebeth never took chances to grow out of her bitterness, and RT laments that she's so hard to please. Furthermore, RT also reveals that Ezrebeth died alone in that same dirty room because no one cared about her. However, instead of sending her to "that boring place", RT decided to keep her because of her abilities.
RT saw Ezrebeth as a challenge, because thanks to her powers she had resisted her illusions more easily, always remembering her past life. Despite her best efforts, Ezrebeth's determination and clinging to the past forced RT to admit defeat and give her the crumbs that got her here. She apologizes and says that she was doing everything for her happiness.
RT gets a little bothered. She insists that she gave Ezrebeth the perfect family – a loving husband, a nice sister, a son and grandson to step all over – and that she should be grateful. Ignoring RT's words, Ezrebeth starts to break down, realizing nothing was actually real - Charta never separated from her sister, Begonia was always a bad person, she never had children and Ishobello was Begonia's son this whole time.
RT asks if that makes her sad, as she believed Ezrebeth didn't want to have children, and Ezrebeth confirms that yes, that was what she wanted, but that she made them real. Ezrebeth starts to question why RT put her family inside that illusion, when she always hated them.
Believing that power was what Ezrebeth had wanted all along, RT gave her the opportunity to get revenge on her family. Ezrebeth, irritated, says that it was none of her business, and that RT definitely didn't do this for her (since no one ever did anything for her). Nobody ever asked what she wanted and she never chose to be turned away or disinherited.
However, RT says that yes, Ezrebeth chose those things. Maybe not directly, but things lead to others and in the end, that was the ending her decisions brought her.
RT snaps at her, calling her ungrateful and starts making drama saying how difficult it is to be her, how difficult it is to get rid of humans who find out too much, and Ezrebeth remembers the apprentice who died when saw the white clothes.
Disturbed by Ezrebeth's cleverness, RT explains that Remm, the cute painter, got too curious and saw just a bit too much but it's all good, because she is using her face now, so she will never be forgotten. She says that she did this out of necessity, as it would be too bad if her existence was revealed to humans.
Bored with Ezrebeth, RT says she can't forgive her for breaking her heart like that, and says she'll turn her into a shadow. No one will be able to see what she looks like, and she will only remember what she wants her to remember. Ezrebeth wonders if this is how it will end.
RT says there is hope for her. For a few minutes, she will be between worlds, and will be able to see and do anything she wants, as if it were her last wish. Without giving more details, RT begins the transformation and Ezrebeth finds herself in a limbo. For a moment, nothing happens, until she sees Volumnius.
Faced with the woman's confusion, Volumnius explains that this is her last wish: To meet the versions of their family that she always wished them to be. Ezrebeth finds it strange that this is her wish, but the boy explains:
He says he thinks she's really cool, and after that, he takes his leave, disappearing into the darkness.
Then, it's Ishobello's turn to appear. He says that even though he wasn't really her son, he likes to think that if he had been, she might have taught him what it's like to live life being different.
He reveals that he was forced to study every day, and that he hated it. Deep down, what he really wanted to be was a musician.
Also, he says that she shouldn't be so hard on herself. That it's easy for others to say that you need to change, that you need to be more positive, but in reality change is difficult. A lot of people don't realize this simple truth, and many others will never hear words like that, which would be able to change them.
Ezrebeth isn't sure about this, but instead of retorting, he just says goodbye.
...Then it's Charta's turn.
Ezrebeth starts to cry and asks why he never loved her, knowing that she was always better than Begonia. Charta says that life is complicated, and that he can't tell how things really were. Maybe he never loved Begonia, and desired her from afar. Or maybe, he was just like her sister. Ezrebeth insists on disagreeing.
"No one else in my life ever did that much for me!"
He then says that this is the Charta she must remember. At this point, she asks him to say one last time.
She tells him that she loves him too, and whispers to him not to leave her. He says that he must do it, despite it being quite painful. Ezrebeth asks how it can be painful if it's not even real, and he says that's not entirely true, as she's experiencing it right at that moment. She comments that he kept his "Charta wisdom" all the way to the end. After that, he takes his leave.
And finally, Begonia emerges from the darkness.
Begonia says she was afraid - she always was - and that she often regretted things. In the end, when she found out about her sister's death, she ran into a wall. She admits that that's not an excuse, and that trying to save their relationship or what was left of it would have cost her too much, but that's the truth.
Ezrebeth asks if that's what she really felt, or if she's just making it up to lessen the pain.
"But if I can believe it, then maybe you can too?"
Begonia asks Ezrebeth if she knew that there are people who believe that when people die, they relive their lives over and over again until they perfect them. Ezrebeth says that she had never heard of it, and Begonia says that it's true. She decides to make a promise.
"Then every fiber of my being will be committed to making things right!"
She promises that she'll share the burdens, that she'll learn about her gift, that she'll defend her from her parents... that she'll be the sister she never had. Ezrebeth begins to cry, and Begonia continues to promise, until she disappears into the darkness.
RT appears again, but before she can say anything, Ezrebeth confronts her, saying that even though she's not the best person dealing with others, even she knows that RT is a damn shitty bastard.
"So trust me when I say that you are one."
At this point, RT transforms her into a shadow, a much more simplified version of who Ezrebeth once was. She asks a few questions to "test" her functionality and everything seems okay. However, some of her powers are still there, and RT believes someone will appreciate that.
"And that's never a bad thing, is it?"
However, one thing that hasn't changed in Ezrebeth's personality is her anger towards people in general. She begins to offend RT, despite not remembering what she did. RT tries to brush this off and claims she's a dang good god.
Post-credits scene[]
After the credits, RT appears calling for her "little brother". At that moment, an "enigmatic man" (The Guide) appears. He complains that he's not her brother, and even if he were, he wouldn't be the younger one. Remm asks them not to discuss this 'again', and says that he knows she is much more powerful anyway.
He asks why was brought there, and she says that she has something that could be useful to him in Purgatory.
He is happy with the 'gift', admitting that it can be quite useful to relieve his boredom, and prepares to leave. RT asks if he wants to know about what she's been up to, and receives a no. She complains that he's not fun, and he says that their ideas of 'fun' are quite different.
RT says they are 'deities', so they can let loose, as no one will stop them. He ignores what she says, agreeing with the fact that humans are indeed inferior creatures, but explains that that is not what he is referring to.
He says she continually cross lines applying her 'perceived goodwill' and RT says she didn't know they had 'lines to cross'. She comments that maybe he has to teach her more about it, and he agrees.
The Guide recognizes the shadow as a member of the Casarecce family and reveals that the youngest recently passed away. He says maybe RT would be interested in him since he's 'right up her alley'.
With this, his "debt" is paid. After a brief discussion, he says goodbye, leaving RT dissatisfied. She comments to herself that she should have a real conversation with him someday, but for now, she will focus on welcoming young Volumnius into his afterlife.
Pitstop in Purgatory[]
Act 1: Annoyed Shadow[]
In Act 1, it is possible to interact with her right when Astrid enters the Ouroboros Bar, but the conversation is short-lived. After this, she is not seen until Act 2.
Act 2: Money. Moola. Macchiato.[]
When Astrid tries to talk to The Guide about the Weird Shadow and fails, she asks Smiley for help and he says he will help if she gives "his" Coin back. When she asks Locke, he refuses to part with it, and Astrid decides to look for something to convince him.
Searching her bedroom cupboards, she finds a Modern Bourbon. Although the player can offer the drink to other characters[1], its usefulness only comes when Astrid offers it to Locke. Despite his enormous interest and excitement in wanting to try the booze of the future, he says he is unable to exchange it for the Coin. It is at this point that the Annoyed Shadow comes in, saying that if he doesn't want it, she does.
It is at that time that the player finally discovers the Annoyed Shadow's name.
Astrid is wary of giving Ezrebeth the Bourbon and asks Locke if it's a good idea, and he says that although she can't be trusted, she knows a lot of stuff. Astrid ends up handing the item to Ezrebeth and she tells Astrid to talk to her after finishing talking to Locke. Soon after, it is possible to interact with her.
Despite Ezrebeth's sarcastic manner and teasing, she ends up revealing a very useful piece of information: if someone throws something in The Wishing Well, it can turn into similar stuff. Then, to solve the problem of getting a coin to Smiley, she must find something that looks like a coin, throw it into the well, and say three magic words: "Money. Moola. Macchiato."
Despite not liking Ezrebeth, Astrid ends up having to trust what she says.
With the help of Rahel and the Wishing Well, Astrid turns a Plate into a Fake Coin and manages to trick Smiley. Believing that she managed to anger Locke, the shadow finally gives Astrid the item that will help her talk to The Guide, and the Act continues.
Rahel's route[]
In Rahel's route, after talking in her room, she asks for some time to be alone. Not knowing what to do to improve the situation, Astrid decides to ask Ezrebeth for help.
Ezrebeth reveals that The Guide made a deal with her, saying he would give her a free platter of steamed vegetables and some booze if she helped Astrid using her special talents. Thinking that the girl would never ask for help, she ended up accepting it.
Her special talent is turning an object into a physical manifestation of someone's inner workings. In this case, the object must be something that belongs to Rahel.
Returning to Rahel's room and interacting in the scenario, it is possible to obtain one of her crystal orbs and bring it back to Ezrebeth, who will transform it into a Crucified Cuddly.
With the object, it is possible to continue on the route without returning to Ezrebeth.
Guide's route[]
In Guide's route, Astrid needs to provoke intense emotions in her friends through conversations in order to use a special item. Each Purgatory character is represented by an item, and Ezrebeth's a U-shaped Thingy.
She obviously doesn't like when Astrid approaches her suggesting the exchange of questions, but given the promise to leave her alone forever, she accepts. Among several questions and answers, Ezrebeth reveals a litte (very little, actually) about herself and her old life: how she hates everyone, how they always said she was born evil and how she has mostly bad memories of when she was alive. However, the item only reacts when Astrid asks where does so much hate comes from.
When the player uses the item during this confession, something strange happens to Ezrebeth: she stops calling Astrid mean nicknames and starts acting polite. She also gets fixated on repeating "All clean, no shame, all clean and no shame!", ensuring that the item has been used successfully.
If the player doesn't use the item while she's talking, Ezrebeth firmly tells Astrid to leave her alone.
When Astrid returns to her room and tells Guide that she spoke to Ezrebeth, she expresses concern at her sudden change in behavior. Guide asks if she's being more difficult than usual and Astrid says no, on the contrary: she's being nice. Thanks to the item, Ezrebeth stopped being mean to her. The Guide says that's wonderful, and adds: "Bent out of shape, her way of handling... difficulty... constantly forced her into corners she had to escape. A destructive cycle in the most classic sense." Astrid asks what that means, and he says it doesn't matter. She insists, saying that she won't return the item until she gets an answer, and he ends up taking it by force.
He tells her to stay focused on the mission, otherwise his streak of generosity might come to an early end. Astrid eventually accepts, but still seems puzzled by the shadow's sudden change in attitude.
DLC: I'll Remember You[]
In the game's DLC, Astrid regains all her memories, including her life and all the loops she went through in Purgatory. Taking advantage of the fact that she's only going to become a deity that night, she decides (much to The Guide's dismay) to have a party with all her friends. One of the guests is Ezrebeth.
She is completely different than usual, using less colorful language and much more friendly, even creating affectionate nicknames for Astrid. She also reveals that she died in her 70's, which surprises Astrid, who thought she was much younger.
When Astrid interacts with her at the party, she points out how friendly Ezrebeth actually is behind all that facade of irritability. Ezrebeth decides to tell a little more about her past, but at the Ouroboros Bar, privately.
At first, it's hard for Ezrebeth to stay serious and keep the conversation focused, but as the conversation progresses, the two manage to find a starting point to begin the narrative. Even though she doesn't know exactly what killed her, Ezrebeth knows that she died poor, dirty, and alone. Despite feeling sorry for her own death, she admits it was the logical conclusion. In life, she also had strange abilities (discover secrets, slightly alter objects...) that caused her family to isolate her out of fear of what she could do. Any chances she had to change her situation were not taken because she was too busy trying not to hurt herself further. But despite all her efforts, her family decided to give the entire inheritance to her younger sister, leaving her penniless.
Because of these things, she had completely given up on trying for a better life. However, recently, she's felt something change inside her, and she begun to realize all the chances she's taken and squandered. She wished she could have found someone who had helped her make those decisions in life.
At that moment, Astrid recognizes the last name and asks if Ezrebeth knew someone named Volumnius. She remembers that he was her sister's grandson, and he was less than ten years old the last time she saw him. Astrid then reveals that they were together in life and death, and Ezrebeth is surprised and a little saddened.
Ezrebeth admits that the coincidence of the two meeting in the same place after death makes her think that everything is connected. She thanks Astrid for spending a little time with her, listening and sharing the miserable past she had, and Astrid says she's glad she finally decided to open up. Finally, Ezrebeth decides to tell Astrid one more thing.
She reveals that Guide himself said she was a gift from God to him, and while she doesn't understand why God would see her as a gift, she believes it has something to do with her abilities. Even though she doesn't remember anything specific about what happened, she feels something awful every time she thinks about it. Considering that the woman will stay there in Purgatory, Ezrebeth makes a plea.
Astrid promises she'll be careful, and Ezrebeth jokes that she's like the daughter she never had. She is happy to finally be able to do something good, even if it took her entire life and afterlife to get to that point.
At the end of the conversation, Astrid reflects on her.
"Ezrebeth was a tortured soul, and for good reason.
Having a bad life doesn't excuse your every action, but I feel for her, I do.
Spending time with the friendly person that she always had the potential to be was a wonderful experience.
If I ever find myself doubting what I'm doing here in Purgatory is worthwhile, this is one of the moments I will think back to.
Never forget, Astrid... that you're making a difference."
Later, after the party is over, Astrid meets everyone in the Waiting Hall for a final goodbye. Before she even starts saying goodbye, she starts crying, and Ezrebeth tries to comfort her.
She reveals that people said this advice every time she got sad growing up. It wasn't the best of advice - despite having a foundation of reason, as striving to improve isn't a bad thing in itself -, but she adds that being sorry, being sad, feeling those emotions it's alright. She is grateful to Astrid for helping her see these things at the end of it all.
Astrid admits that she doesn't know exactly what she's done, and Ezrebeth scoffs, thanking her.
After that, the two say goodbye.
Other Dialogues[]
During the party, it is possible to enter the Ouroboros Bar and spy on the conversations of various characters. Here are the conversations Ezrebeth participates in.
Locke and Ezrebeth[]
Locke and Ezrebeth meet at the Ouroboros Bar, but he seems quite confused by her presence. She insists on the idea that he knows why she is there, considering all the "signs" he showed during the party. Locke denies that he sent any "signs" at all, and then it's Ezrebeth's turn to be confused.
He denies it again, and apologizes if he was misleading her. Quickly Ezrebeth recovers, leaving the bar, leaving Locke a little surprised. He stops for a moment, wondering if he was really sending signals and after a while he finds the whole situation amusing.
Rahel and Ezrebeth[]
In this conversation, Rahel asks Ezrebeth the age of her spirit, which confuses her at first. She keeps trying to explain herself and Ezrebeth still doesn't understand, and on the third attempt she manages to bring her ideas more clearly.
Ezrebeth doesn't know what this has to do with her spirit and her soul, and Rahel explains that the spirit remembers more than the body, and that considering the fact that Ezrebeth is just a shadow now, she assumed she was more in tune with her spirit.
Once again Ezrebeth is very confused by what she is saying - and makes that very clear - but confirms that a long time ago she really didn't act true to herself. Unfortunately, she doesn't seem too excited about discussing her past with Rahel, and leaves the room.
Before leaving, however, Rahel exclaims that she finds Ezrebeth fascinating.
Smiley and Ezrebeth[]
In this conversation, Smiley approaches Ezrebeth and comments that people can't see her, which she confirms. He wonders why and Ezrebeth is a little surprised he doesn't know. Smiley admits that The Guide never told him, and asks if she knows anything.
Smiley is amazed that shadows are created and she says that at least she was, since she was a gift from God to The Guide. Again shocked by Ezrebeth's words, Smiley thinks that she must feel very special because of this, which she vehemently denies, as Guide never treated her well. She wonders, however, if Smiley was also a gift, but he very much doubts it, as The Guide always talks as if he and Locke were put there on purpose. And despite that, apparently there are people who can see him clearly, while others don't. This mystery surprises Ezrebeth, making her wonder a little about its meaning, but soon she lets it go.
Considering that in a little while whatever made them shadows won't matter anymore, Ezrebeth decides to invite Smiley to a shadow-to-shadow drinking contest. He points to his own smile, asking if she understands the answer, and she says no, as he is always smiling. Smiley takes the opportunity to say that the last one to reach the liquor bottle loses, as he starts to run, leaving a hurried Ezrebeth behind.
Trivia[]
- She has a leg impairment that makes her unable to walk without feeling pain. It was caused by an accident in high school.[2]
References[]
- ↑ Doing this unlocks the "Nipperkinception" achievement in the Steam version of the game.
- ↑ See "About our childhood..." dialogue with Begonia in Ezrebeth: A Holiday Mindfudge.