Deadlock’s roster of characters is quite colorful, not in the literal design sense, because, of course, they are. But it’s more in terms of the morality they lean towards. Almost all of them are a mixed bunch when it comes to fighting over a wish they want to make to otherworldly entities.
Sure, there are the ones who are clearly leaning towards plain villainy, like the super criminal Seven, who broke out of one of the most dangerous prisons in the world of Deadlock, Lost Whisper.
Or, the likes of Drifter, who is a straight-up serial killer, and is having the time of his life in this game. But there are also other kinds of residents in Cursed Apple who are selflessly fighting to save others with the help of a wish.
Such as the shining street performer, Celeste, or the Ixian who wants to save his bar, which is also a home. Although calling their motivations completely selfless would be cutting it too thin, the act requires completing the summoning ritual.
Which means allowing extraterritorial entities into their world. And that cannot be completely selfless, as no one has any idea why these beings are trying to enter the real world. If pop culture and literature have taught us anything about eldritch horror, it’s that it’s never good news.
Deadlock’s Characters are in the grey area of morality
This is also why there is a completely separate segment of characters in the Deadlock roster, who are actively working to sabotage the ritual by winning the war themselves. Characters such as Warden and Venators have sworn to protect humanity from these interdimensional beings even at the cost of their lives.
But don’t be fooled by their heroism; these characters are equally flawed. Especially, Warden, who cannot discriminate between black and white and would rather act with scrutiny towards anyone who is not of earthly origin.
So to sum it all up once again. Deadlock sure has a cast of colorful characters with their own colorful motivations for the summoning ritual. But beyond that, we need to talk a bit about the hosts of the ritual themselves.
The two main entities at the center of this battle are The Archmother and The Hidden King. These cosmic beings have been rivals in a tug of war over power and control from time immemorial. And that is basically the extent of what Deadlock players know about their backstories so far.
The Patrons of Deadlock represent Order and Chaos
Although the general speculation does not end there. There is much we can figure out if we look at the kind of references that rhyme with these beings. First off, The Archmother and The Hidden King are two sides of the same coin.
The Former represents order under her leadership, promising the flourishing of civilizations around the world. But also at the cost of endless devotion to strictness from imposing law and punishment.
It is clearly represented through the design of The Archmother and other imagery around her. Almost in a way, taking a sly dig at how extremism can work with institutions of worship in the real world.
On the Hidden King’s side, things are exactly the polar opposite. His theme alludes to noise and chaos, and so do his design philosophies. He represents the deconstruction of law and order, pushing society into rebellion against systematic control.
This dichotomy brings us to a classic tug of war we see throughout the history of pop culture, especially in games. The war between order and chaos, which has been an iconic party distribution system dating back to the days of Dungeons and Dragons.
H.P. Lovecraft is a major influence for Deadlock
Evolving the tried and true narrative system of clash between good and evil, into one where black and white morality is absolutely absent. It’s been adapted as a progressive tool across several video game franchises for ages now.
Deadlock’s is no different, with almost every character embracing that grey area of morality. But that is not all that makes the Patrons’ positions in the game so special. As we already mentioned, these are interdimensional beings trying to enter the real world.
Neither the in-game characters nor we as players have any idea as to what the Patrons are capable of once they make their way into our reality. This is obviously something that is still a work in progress since the game is in development, and a lot of lore tidbits are incomplete.
But the ambiguity around them is what makes the air around the discussion about Patrons so intriguing. It directly draws connections to themes of cosmic horror literature, popularized by the works of H.P. Lovecraft.
Cosmic horror thrives on the normal human dread that comes from attempting to comprehend the unknown. Trying to make sense of encounters with beings far beyond our earthly reality, and ending up in the mouth of madness.
The Patrons are inspired by Lovecraftian Outer Gods
It’s not just a mere encounter with UAPs and Grey Aliens from pop culture. Beings from Cosmic horror literature are made out to be aboriginal gods in fiction; most of them are popular enough to be referenced in several other media, including games that span across generations.
In fact, The Hidden King and Arch Mother are also designs that directly reference a certain cosmic horror entity, which makes frequent appearances in games. Hastur, the King in Yellow, is the idea of a cosmic entity derived from the book by the same name, written by Robert W. Chambers.
This is a work of fiction that influenced Lovecraft himself and made Hastur a part of the greater Cthulhu mythos in pop culture. Common depictions of The King in Yellow involve imagery of a god-like entity cloaked in gold.
But the most interesting part about The King in Yellow is that the original work never specifically talks about any entity. The book is a collection of stories depicting characters going mad after learning about a mysterious play with the same title.
Robert W. Chambers never describes Hastur, and that is what specifically makes this horror about the Yellow King so impressive at its core. And this brings us to why the Patrons in Deadlock are a matter of concern.
Nyarlathotep is one of the biggest influences for the Patrons
Those influenced by their own motivations are too blinded to take notice of what lies in the future for Cursed Apple when the ritual is completed. But those who do take notice, like the Venator or the Warden, are aware not to let that happen. This is the reality of cosmic horror, which comes with ambiguity.
By now, you must be wondering that something does not add up. How are the patrons supposed to be in the same league as the cosmic horror deities from the Cthulhu mythos? Because just gaining the knowledge about their existence is supposed to make mortals spiral into madness?
Well, this is where one of the most important beings among the Great Old Ones comes in, Nyarlathotep. While it is true that the whole of humanity would be considered less than a speck of dust for the cosmic gods, Nyarlathotep is the only entity who is known to actively interact with humanity.
Although interpretations have differed through time and stories. Nyarlathotep is mostly described as taking pleasure in dealing with mortal beings. This is in order to raise their own cult of expendable followers.
They achieve this through deceptive and manipulative tricks. Thereby tempting mortals with the illusion of fulfilling any kind of wish they desire, be it wealth or power, only for it all to culminate in the downfall of the one who followed through with their motivations.
The Crawling Chaos wants to manipulate humanity and cause chaos
This particular outer god was created by H.P. Lovecraft himself as a major being and part of the greater Cthulhu Mythos. Nyarlathotep originally appeared in a 1920s poem with the eponymous title of the God.
After the debut, he became a mainstay in most of Lovecraft’s works. Just like the rest of this aboriginal pantheon, Nyarlathotep is known by multiple names, including being called The Crawling Chaos.
There is a good reason for that. Nyarlathotep, by role, is a messenger to Azathoth, the omnipresent deity who is blind and mindlessly swimming in chaos at the center of the universe. Thus, the former’s duty is to crawl into human society and set in motion the cosmic disorder.
Nyarlathotep achieves this by disguising himself in various earthly avatars to get closer to human beings and then manipulating them into his chaotic schemes. The ultimate goal of the outer god is to bring about an end to the universe, slowly dismantling it piece by piece.
The Patrons cannot be allowed to enter the real world
By now, you probably have guessed the similarities. The Patrons in Deadlock are beings who exercise and enjoy similar kinds of powers. The hints don’t just end there because story bits of the other characters in Deadlock also tie their influences to the outer gods.
The Doorman is a similar kind of being of cosmic proportions, with a torturous past. And now living among humans in their service as a caretaker for a luxury hotel. His design clearly echoes one of Nyarlathotep’s avatars.
Although he is a reformed being and too much of a distant echo compared to the outer gods’ hunger for chaos and misery, the Doorman is far from escaping the grey area of morality, like most characters in the roster.
He considers the Patrons his old friends and is actively participating in the ritual in order to be reunited with them once again. Thus fulfilling the ritual and pushing the real world an inch closer at the mercy of these interdimensional beings.
The hints are further extended to the names of the Patrons. According to the Doorman, his friends were previously known by other titles. Arch Mother was City Mother, and the Hidden King was Amber King. This fact brings us back to how the outer gods in Lovecraftian horror are known by several different identities.
The world of Deadlock is doomed for a bad ending either way
All of these influences repeatedly hammer the fact that letting the Patrons into the real world cannot be a good decision. Heck, even Warden’s backstory outright states that allowing the patrons to exist would not bode well for the world.
The character’s entire bloodline has been preparing for generations for the day when it is time to push back the Patrons. But unfortunately, things have been set into motion already. Just like how Nyarlathotep is always influencing mortals to do their bidding, the Patrons are tempting our main characters into completing the summoning ritual.
Everyone is too distracted by their own motivations behind the temptation of the wish that comes with the summoning ritual. And the few in the cast who dare to question these cosmic powers have yet to prove that they can take them on.
For now, we will have to make do with speculations about how each individual character’s motivation will shape up in the future. Answers to Questions like whether Shiv will ever be able to prove himself in front of those who loathe him.
Or if Vindicta and Grey Talon will ever be able to exact their revenge. All of these will be revealed if Valve decides to provide a resolution to their stories one day. Because one thing has already been answered.
No matter what ends up happening, Deadlock’s game world will be doomed for a bad ending in every possible future because of the looming cosmic schemes of the Patrons.
