Marta

> "*God don't hear dead men! Be still! Take your penance! God loves you. God loves you.*"
> ― Marta murdering Ethan.[source]
>
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**Marta**[1] is the secondary antagonist in *Outlast 2*. She is one of the most dangerous and feared members of the Testament of the New Ezekiel.

## Background

Not much is known about Marta's background aside from a few notes. The aforementioned notes show that Marta was an "intimate" and close friend of Knoth's since her childhood, whom he states is his "best beloved."

It is also mentioned that Marta's Faith is considered "imperfect." Knoth says this to her because she actually views her murders as sins. She feels unhappy taking the lives of people despite what their affiliations or beliefs are. However, Knoth tells her that she may not even lift a finger and be considered a sinner in the eyes of God. He explains that Marta is trusted to perform the sacred duty of being a witness, judge, and executioner. Her murders are her path to salvation because she is getting rid of the "criminals" before they commit their prophesied sins. Using metaphors to explain to Marta that her deeds are righteous (saying if she does not get rid of the rabid dog or venomous spider knowing what they are, is she not responsible as them when they kill), he says that her murders are not sins but actually pious deeds to save her town.

## Story

Marta is first encountered by Blake while she mumbles gospel quotes and patrols the middle of the town at night, acting as its enforcer. When Blake is sheltered by Ethan, a seemingly sane resident of the village, she visits him to viciously slay him for his "sins", as well as for knowledge of Blake's whereabouts, which he denies. These sins were that Ethan denied Knoth his daughter, Anna Lee, and have "since sinned in denying it" (though she says "catamite to the devil" after she kills him which may be an insult or refer to something else). She is encountered several times throughout the game by Blake, nearly killing him almost every time. Marta can be seen killing random town folk for either questioning their faith or being suspected to be a Heretic. So much so that when Blake encounters the townspeople in populated areas of the town, such as its central square, they will vacate the place indicating Marta's coming, even if they themselves are hostile to Blake. This is further proven when pursuing cultists withdraw from chasing Blake as the area he stumbled into is one of Marta's patrol routes, and leave him to die by Marta's hands. This overall shows a level of awe and fear that Marta's own cult possesses concerning her displaying that she is someone not to be trifled with.

In the final section of the game, she chases Blake and an in-labor Lynn through a violent thunderstorm and is right on the verge of slaughtering them both. However, the storm rips off the roof of the building they are in, which detaches a metal cross from the roof which plummets down onto Marta and impales her through the chest, killing her.

## Personality and characteristics

Marta seems to be a high-ranking enforcer of the Testament of New Ezekiel, as she is universally feared throughout the town. She is very strong, able to deftly use her pickaxe to kill anyone she views as an impending threat, as well as being able to smash through doors and wooden fences with very little effort. Marta's knowledge of the town is well mapped, as she seems to able to maneuver through it with ease, even in the darkness. It is also hinted that she has excellent eyesight and can see well at night.

Marta is a cruel and relentless pursuer, who stops at nothing to try and kill Blake or anyone else who stands up against the cult. She holds a stern sense of duty to rid the Temple Gate of any resident she, Knoth, or anyone else considers to be a sinner or a Heretic all in the service of God. This is further proven due to the fact that she is shown to constantly mumble gospel quotes to herself during her patrols, possibly to ensure herself that her murderous actions are all in favor of the salvation of the Temple Gate before the end of time comes.

Marta seems to be dependent on Knoth, who he himself uses to fashion her into his best enforcer. He even entrusts her to slaughter Val saying that she will be the hands of God who will crush Val and the Heretics for their betrayal and will withhold the mercy that Val wants by mutilating them with their Blade. Although Marta appears to be skeptical of murder, she is usually silenced by Knoth, as he still sees her be effective in what she does.

## Physical appearance

Marta is depicted as a very tall, lanky middle-aged woman with light blue eyes, a gaunt inflection, pasty skin, black stringy hair, and black robes draped on her like rags. She wields a crudely made pickaxe shaped like a crucifix with a spiked pommel with a rosary wrapped around it and a glowing, fiery orange incense burner at the top of the weapon. Her exact height is unknown, although she has to hunch through doors, indicating she's roughly seven feet tall. When asked of Marta's height over Twitter, Red Barrels simply responded with "real tall".[2]

## Trivia

* Unused audio files have Marta furiously roaring at someone to *"shut up"* and *"stop laughing"*, along with panting and struggling.[3] Cross-referencing these with similar unused lines from Val implies that there was originally going to be a scene where Marta raided the Heretics mines with her fellow cultists and wrestled with Val, ultimately strangling her to death.[4]