Posted April 23, 2018
First of all - I know that world in Tormentum is very abstractive and rather far from any concrete "fantasy/sci-fi" setting or religion. However...
After observing and finishing game, I've got very strong impression, that main character (as well as other prisoners inside fortress) were sent there not because of will of some ruthless regime or merciless warlord, but rather because of their sins.
At the very beginning, rat says that he's innocent and didn't deserve to be imprisoned. Well, later (if we'll decide to set him free) we can clearly see that he's catching and eating people, previously keeping them in inhuman conditions.
Man tortured by one of the knights is probably still alive, despite being pierced by blades. But knight himself, if we'll decide to pierce him), will be dead. Which probably means, that also this tortured man is, as well as main character, already dead and can't be killed.
It's also hard to miss that only compassion someone else can releave a bit one of the tormented citizens, who is imprisoned in wall. Only "other man" (his brother) can bring him some joy, some relief in his current state.
This bring me to analogy to famous russian "Fable of the Onion" (skip rest of this paragraph, if you already know it) - about woman who never made anything for other people, so she was taken almost immediately after death to hell, however angel was trying to find any, even tiny selfless act in her life, and he eventually found, that she once gave some poor man an onion, on thin line. And angel brought this onion with line, to take her back from hell. Women immediately catched it and was pulled up, however when she saw other people, who were trying to get out of the hell as well, she screamed to let it go, because it's only her line and only she can use it. Then line was bursted, women fell back to hell and angel said, that this line with onion could carry her and other people out of hell, but it couldn't carry her sellfishness.
And finally, at the very end, we can see that main character is already dead, since he commited suicide after murdering his wife. Not only he killed someone who was innocent, but he also killed himself, because he didn't want to face all consequences (not necessarly "legal only"!) of his act.
So, since he decided to "skip" semi-purgatory (fortress), and all sufferring he deserved, he needed to prove, that he is no longer carrying his selfishness, by helping other unfortunate souls, to reduce their torment. By lack of humility and fear of pain, he had to go with even "harder" way, because if he failed, he would go straight to hell.
What do you think about it? I personally consider it as "one of the passable" interpretations, which maybe adds there something (or maybe even modyfing some parts, despite different intention of game's developer). I'm guessing that it's as good speculation as any else... Or maybe less? Or more?...
After observing and finishing game, I've got very strong impression, that main character (as well as other prisoners inside fortress) were sent there not because of will of some ruthless regime or merciless warlord, but rather because of their sins.
At the very beginning, rat says that he's innocent and didn't deserve to be imprisoned. Well, later (if we'll decide to set him free) we can clearly see that he's catching and eating people, previously keeping them in inhuman conditions.
Man tortured by one of the knights is probably still alive, despite being pierced by blades. But knight himself, if we'll decide to pierce him), will be dead. Which probably means, that also this tortured man is, as well as main character, already dead and can't be killed.
It's also hard to miss that only compassion someone else can releave a bit one of the tormented citizens, who is imprisoned in wall. Only "other man" (his brother) can bring him some joy, some relief in his current state.
This bring me to analogy to famous russian "Fable of the Onion" (skip rest of this paragraph, if you already know it) - about woman who never made anything for other people, so she was taken almost immediately after death to hell, however angel was trying to find any, even tiny selfless act in her life, and he eventually found, that she once gave some poor man an onion, on thin line. And angel brought this onion with line, to take her back from hell. Women immediately catched it and was pulled up, however when she saw other people, who were trying to get out of the hell as well, she screamed to let it go, because it's only her line and only she can use it. Then line was bursted, women fell back to hell and angel said, that this line with onion could carry her and other people out of hell, but it couldn't carry her sellfishness.
And finally, at the very end, we can see that main character is already dead, since he commited suicide after murdering his wife. Not only he killed someone who was innocent, but he also killed himself, because he didn't want to face all consequences (not necessarly "legal only"!) of his act.
So, since he decided to "skip" semi-purgatory (fortress), and all sufferring he deserved, he needed to prove, that he is no longer carrying his selfishness, by helping other unfortunate souls, to reduce their torment. By lack of humility and fear of pain, he had to go with even "harder" way, because if he failed, he would go straight to hell.
What do you think about it? I personally consider it as "one of the passable" interpretations, which maybe adds there something (or maybe even modyfing some parts, despite different intention of game's developer). I'm guessing that it's as good speculation as any else... Or maybe less? Or more?...