Papa

Lore & Background

On the planet Monarch, the colony's supposed capital, the Monarch's influence has curdled into outright worship. Papa stands at the apex of this devotion, a robed and bearded figure who speaks in parables and frames the Monarch's authoritarian edicts as sacred scripture. His followers—miners, settlers, and the desperate alike—have abandoned secular governance in favor of ritual purity, communal labor for the 'divine will,' and the rejection of anything that smells of the old world's cynicism.

Papa's rhetoric is carefully calibrated. He never speaks of the Monarch as a tyrant; instead, he paints obedience as liberation and suffering as purpose. This makes the cult both a genuine faith community for its members and a perfectly efficient tool for the Monarch's control. The player, arriving with the Halcyon's crew, quickly learns that Papa is not merely a zealot but a shrewd operator who has woven his authority so deeply into daily life that removing him would mean dismantling the entire social fabric of Monarch.

The cult's theology is a thin veneer over the Monarch's political machinations, yet for many followers the distinction is meaningless. Papa preaches that the Monarch will usher in a new age, and his followers genuinely believe they are the first generation to witness salvation. It is this sincerity—rather than mere fanaticism—that makes the cult so difficult to uproot and so tragic to confront.

In Their Own Story

The incense hangs thick in the nave, a cloying sweetness that coats the back of the throat. Papa stands at the raised dais, his hands folded over a worn text, his voice a low rumble that seems to come from the walls themselves. Around him, dozens of colonists kneel in the polished dark, their faces lit by the amber glow of oil lamps. One by one, they press their foreheads to the cold floor and whisper the Monarch's name like a prayer.

You stand at the back, Halcyon's badge still warm in your pocket, watching the ritual unfold. A child tugs her mother's sleeve, asking a question no one answers. Papa's eyes find yours across the congregation, and he smiles—not with malice, but with the patient, sorrowful tenderness of a father who believes he is saving a wayward child from the cold. He says nothing. He doesn't need to. The silence is louder than any sermon.

Reader's Guide

Papa is encountered on the planet Monarch, the colony's central hub, where the player's main-quest path leads them into the cult's territory. You first cross paths with his followers in the streets and then confront him directly in the cult's gathering hall.

He is not a combat encounter in the traditional sense. Papa is a dialogue-driven NPC whose interactions revolve around the player's stance toward the Monarch's authority. You can challenge his theology, probe his relationship with the Monarch, or even attempt to reason with him. His responses shift based on your reputation and prior choices, but his core position remains: the Monarch is divine, and doubt is a sickness he can cure.

Personality-wise, Papa reads as genuinely sincere rather than cartoonishly evil. He speaks softly, uses paternal language ('my children,' 'my flock'), and frames every conflict as a spiritual test. He is patient, almost pitying, toward the player, which makes confrontation feel less like a fight and more like a theological debate.

Key choices tied to Papa include whether to expose the cult's manipulation to the wider colony, to rally his followers against him, or to leave the cult intact as a stabilizing (if theocratic) force. These decisions ripple into the Monarch's final act and affect which factions on Monarch remain allied to the player. There is no companion perk or faction-loyalty mechanic tied specifically to Papa, but your handling of the cult influences the broader Monarch resolution.

Did You Know?

• Papa's cult is one of several distinct social structures the player encounters on Monarch, making the planet a microcosm of competing ideologies under the Monarch's rule.
• The cult's theology directly mirrors the Monarch's own propaganda, suggesting Papa's faith is a product of the villain's long-term manipulation of the colony.
• Papa's interactions are heavily dialogue-driven, offering the player multiple non-combat avenues to resolve the cult's role in the story.
• The cult's presence on Monarch contrasts sharply with the more secular, commercial, or militaristic factions found on other locations, highlighting the game's theme of how power shapes belief.