"We penitents carry such guilt that perhaps the Affliction is giving us a second breath. But be wary: amongst prayers it might silently come creeping to us one day."
The penitent Deogracias is an inhabitant of Cvstodia, the self-proclaimed witness to and narrator of the acts of the Miracle, claiming such is his penance. He guides the Penitent One throughout the game.
He is a towering figure, much taller than the Penitent One, even while kneeling. His body is bound in heavy ropes, and he wears a mask of knotted rope in a spiral over his green, pointed hood. He is often seen kneeling while carrying a large scroll. When not kneeling and facing the player, his knees can be seen to have been worn bloody from the act of kneeling.
Relevant item descriptions indicate that he was once a scribe, but left his abbey in order to be a "true witness to the works of the Miracle." The description continues to say that he left with the intention to continue writing, which may provide an explanation as to why he is frequently seen carrying a scroll. He seems to have a wealth of knowledge regarding Cvstodia's history and the Miracle.
"Brother Abbot, you know that I have been a scribe in this abbey since I was but a wee child. I have written about our church, our saints and our Miracle of the Greatest Pain. I must inform you that I have made the decision to leave, although I intend to continue writing. In these walls I cannot be a true witness of the works of the Miracle. I need to appreciate with my own eyes your holy works. I will be a teller of the Miracle wherever it takes me, rain or shine, or scorching sand under my bare feet."
Dialogue[]
Opening Cinematic
And thus, guilt, repentance, mourning and every pain of the soul of all kind were visibly and tangibly manifested, everywhere and in all of us.
Sometimes in the form of blessing and grace, sometimes in the form of punishment and corruption.
That divine will, equally pious and cruel, which we could not and will never be able to unravel, was called The Miracle.
Encounter in the Holy Line
Regretful be the heart, Penitent One. The anguish of the Eldest Brother has now come to an end.
I am Deogracias, witness to and narrator of the acts of the Grievous Miracle. Such is my penance, as yours is silence.
The Cradle of Affliction is what you seek. This can be found in the Mother of Mothers of the churches.
It is a remote place separated from the rest of these lands by a great sacred and forbidden door.
Even a wise penitent like me knows nothing of what lies beyond those high walls.
However, what I do know is that, according to The Rule, one must carry out the Three Humiliations to gain access to what they guard.
One of them must be performed in the high mountains, covered in thick blankets of snow and ice.
Another in the depths of a dark, entombed church, where the sleeper lies.
And the last one at the end of the trail carved by moans that claw their way out of an iron spiral. In the bowels of the bell named Jondo that grows into the earth.
Take this thorn and place it on the handle of your sword.
If, when the time comes, as you grip your weapon firmly, you notice that it wounds you, and makes you bleed...
Having grown, with more thorns sprouting from it, writhing over the figure of the Father carved into the knob...
That will mean that you are at the mercy of the Grievous Miracle, whether for its punishment or its forgiveness.
Encounter in the Holy Line after Jibrael
It is not possible...
That which bears hundreds of years pf oblivion has returned.
It has returned...
Defeating one of the first three bosses
You have carried out the first Humiliation of Penance.
You have been allowed to meet the Visage of Contrition.
You have yet to prostrate before two last Holy Visages.
Defeating the second of the first three bosses
You have carried out the second Humiliation of Penance.
You have met the Visage of Attrition.
You have yet to prostrate before one last Holy Visage.
Having defeated the first three bosses
Penitent One in silence, after bowing before the Holy Custodian Visages, the door at the end of the Bridge of Calvary has been opened.
Traverse now its threshold under the strict eye of His Holiness.
We penitents carry such guilt that perhaps the Affliction is giving us a second breath. But be wary: amongst prayers it might silently come creeping to us one day.
After the defeat of Our Lady of the Charred Visage
You have been allowed to behold the Visage of Compunction.
Penitent One in silence, after bowing before the Holy Custodian Visages, the door at the end of the Bridge of Calvary has been opened.
Traverse now its threshold under the strict eye of His Holiness.
We penitents carry such guilt that perhaps the Affliction is giving us a second breath. But be wary: amongst prayers it might silently come creeping to us one day.
At the Gates of the Three Calvaries (Before Defeating the three bosses)
Here lies the door on whose bronze the ordeals of those chosen by the Miracle are perpetuated.
On it, for the art of these images to be worshipped and revered, ornamentation must take place.
His sculpted Holiness watches us, rigid, from on high, but it is the relief of the bronze that dictates who is worthy of passing under its adorned arch.
Find the Holy Visages, and the Bronze will know.
For fickle are the wishes of the Miracle.
Talking Again
Sorrowful be the Heart, Penitent One.
Encounter in the Patio of the Silent Steps
Those you have removed from Punishment were Perpetva and Esdras, foundling siblings who went on to be part of His Holiness' Guard.
It was said that Perpertva(sic) could speak to her brother even after death.
For twisted are the paths of the Miracle.
Exhausted all other dialogue
Sorrowful be the heart, Penitent One
At the Knot of the Three Words
The Knot of the Three Words. Here is where the First Miracle took place. One devout and tormented youngster asked the High Will of punishment.
He placed a wooden log where he sat and prayed. He prayed hoping to be heard.
He prayed for pain, so he could ease the guilt that sharply pierced his soul. Then the Miracle manifested itself.
It made roots grow and twist over his arms and legs, but not a cry nor a complaint came out from his mouth.
Every inhabitant of this land bore witness to it, and all of them prayed before the besought eternal joy of that youngster.
This triune tree that sprouted years after his death was named The Knot of the Three Words, for three are its twisted trunks, and three were the words spoken by that youngster before he died: My Great Guilt.
Every year, from its core, flows a golden, burning liquid, perpetuating his memory, and, perhaps, to remind us that the First Miracle has not abandoned us.
For twisted are, were and will be, the paths of the Miracle.
After defeating Quirce
The one you have pulled from Punishment was Quirce, one of the Sheltered.
He was unjustly condemned to the stake for heresy, and the inquisitors bore witness to the flames engulfing his body amidst an atrocious communion of prayers and cries.
Still, when it was over, and the flames had died, the merciful Miracle called them forth again, and from them, from the ashes and embers, the body of Quirce rose anew.
For fiery are the paths of the Miracle.
After defeating Escribar
You have freed His Holiness from his afflicted torment, and now he walks by the old processions on the other side of the Dream.
The Cradle of the Grievous Miracle, the final relic, the grail of blood and gold that emanated from the forehead of the Father as he silently lamented the moment of his blessed twisting.
That first relic is here, at the top of the ashen mountain next to the Turned Throne where His Holiness was kissed by our Miraculous Pain.
And now your final communion with the Miracle awaits.
Only you will be able to know how much of it has seeped into your guilty heart.
Dialogue exhausted after the defeat of Escribar
Your communion with the First Miracle awaits.
Ending A (good ending)
And thus came the moment of final communion with the sword born of guilt. A last sacrifice in order to finish penance and break off with the ungodly will of the Grievous Miracle.
But the plans of the Miracle are capricious. Penance never ends, but changes, hurts and condemns at will.
There is no place for the Penitent One on the other side of the dream. His place is here, among us.
He is the new Father and the last son of the Miracle.
Recipient of our prayers.
For ever and ever.
Ending B (bad ending)
The mountain of ashes that swallowed up sins and sinners alike has had no mercy on you either.
At the mercy of the Miracle you were and at the mercy of the Miracle you remain.
You are no longer anything but one more anonymous visage, without a voice, without a gesture.*
Your penitence is over.
The spoken dialogue is 'without a voice, without countenance.'
Deogracias is a masculine given name of Latin origin in its variant in Spanish. Its meaning is "Thanks [be] to God".
His aesthetic is inspired by garments typical of penitents of Spanish and Latin American Holy Week, and his wicker face mask is inspired by traditional wicker mats in the kitchens of southern Spain.
Diogracias is shown kneeling at all times, except when in the presence of the sacred, an inversion of typical demonstrations of religious respect.
