Ironbark Cult

The **Ironbark Cult** are the main antagonists of Fears to Fathom - Ironbark Lookout and serve as the episode's threat to protagonist Jack Nelson.

They are a mysterious Satanic group of individuals that roam the woods of the Ironbark State Park at night, abducting and silencing anyone who discovers their existence.

## Biography

Little is known about the group's history prior to Ironbark Lookout, though it's implied that they've been operating for a considerable amount of time since Billy appeared to be aware of them and would regularly carry around a shotgun to protect himself if they ever came for him. One of the fire lookouts, Connor, even mentions that he sometimes wished that the stories of cryptids such as Bigfoot and the Goatman living in the forest were true as opposed to the disturbing truth.

According to Silas, the group believes that nature follows its own set of rules separate from that of civilization and violent acts of destruction, such as forest fires, are not only natural and inevitable but also necessary in order for the natural world to survive and replenish. This philosophy may also extend to human nature as well, as the group appear to have no problems with kidnapping and killing various people who wander too close to their location. The unnamed cultist that wears a white cloak instead of a black cloak could be assumed to be the cult leader.

Though the group was determined to keep their existence a secret, they were not always successful as some campers and hikers who had encountered the group would sometimes escape and tell others about their experiences. Though these were almost always dismissed made up stories of cryptids. Perhaps in order to support this illusion, the group dresses up in horned masks and robes.

### Ironbark Lookout

Jack Nelson first comes across an alleged member of the cult when he leaves his tower to urinate. A mysterious man is seen to shine a light at him and disappear into the darkness of the forest.

The second night, when Jack is investigating a camp fire up north in the park, he hears a man screaming before coming across the eerily deserted camp site, a cult member in full attire can be heard whistling and seen hiding in the area limit sign beyond the trees on the left, before running off after Jack spotted them.

The cultist follows Jack back to Tower 11, his whistles being heard as Jack prepares to sign off for the night. A member is later seen outside Jack's fire tower, leaving a pentagram signed skull of a deer near the door, warning Jack to not interfere with their activities.

The following night, Jack helps a lost hiker when he hears that the hiker has come across a man whistling.

Later that night, Jack encounters a man calling himself Silas lurking around his supply hut. Claiming to be a repair man working on the radio tower, Silas warns Jack that “curiosity can lead to places you’d rather not go” before disappearing into the forest. Connor later reveals that tower has been out of use for a long time and instructs Jack to report on Silas if he ever return.

A week later, Jack observes the cult performing a ritual, when taking a photo to document as evidence, the cult spot the camera’s flash and quickly disperse. Jack then spots a cult member running towards his tower and hides under the bed, taking the chance to escape and heads back to his RV. Returning to to the camp parking lot, Jack spots a cult member pursuing him but manages to escape.

No one believes his claims or they appear to deny what Jack is telling them, indicating knowledge and fear of this cult and how dangerous they are.

## Members

* Unnamed White-Robed Cultist
* Silas
* Six unidentified Black-Robed Cultists

## Trivia

* A member of the cult appears to whistle when it comes to stalking their victims, it is unknown if each cult member does this or just the one individual.
* Silas can be seen right at the start of the game inside the diner, next to him is a shovel and his cultist attire. He breaks into your RV and hide in the bathroom. Before leaving into the forest after Jack leave the RV, he can be seen walking in the woods in Billy’s hut through the window.
* Through a bug, it's possible to enter the cult's campsite for a closer look on their ritual. As their behavior was already scripted, doing so won't alarm them until the player took their picture from the lookout tower.
* Curiously, the cultists' garbs resemble those of Ku Klux Klan albeit with masks whose top ended with two points instead of one.

## Gallery

Ironbark Cult continues performing its unsettling ritual.Ironbark Cult notices Jack taking a photo of them.Closer look on Ironbark Cult's ritual through a bug.
## References

1. ↑ https://youtube.com/watch?v=BIjjrRoob90