Pestilence

**Pestilence** is one of the playable Shadows in Light Bearers.

## Lore

A lonely rough and twisted tree sits in the murky swamp waters and dead grass of The 5th Plane. Spindly branches stick out in all directions, too thin to grow even a single leaf. Its base had grown so wide and misshapen that a hallowed knot had formed within its center. The winding river which snaked across this plane devouring everything it came across had one day tried to consume the tree, only to be met with a noxious gas strong enough to deter it from ever coming near it again.

Pestilence was a man of science needing complete concentration to perform his best work and having a pesky river muddling about ruined his solitude. While others found themselves in The Chaos unwillingly, Pestilence had actually sought it out needing a place of peace and quiet where he could continue his research without worrying about meddlesome things like patient death rates. It was simply an added bonus that this plane held something found no where else in the universe, a hive like insect swarm with multiple consciousnesses whose pieces have been instrumental in his progress.

A booming explosion rippled through the murky wasteland, shaking the decaying tree. Moments later a puff of green gas exploded from within the tree and a voice could be heard muttering, "Merde! That was the last canister..." Out from the dense fog cloud still seeping through the cracks in the tree, Pestilence emerged to survey the damage. He had been working on a new delivery method when the rattling crash forced the canister to prematurely activate. Dismayed but never deterred he immediately grabbed his lantern and headed to seek out the river. Swarms are typically difficult to track, but this one seemed intent on always being near the river.

Just as Pestilence was nearing the Rivers widest point, he saw the swarm hovering only a foot above the surface of the water. It was odd behavior, indeed, considering the destructive power of the river. Before Pestilence could contemplate it any further, he watched in horror as his only supply dove straight into the river. "**What have you done!**" he screamed as he flew towards the river in haste. What he saw was unbelievable. The swarm had not only survived the dreadful water, but had vanished through a crack shining bright in the bed of the river.

For several minutes, Pestilence hovered back and forth in the air. This was completely unacceptable. His research now relied on the bits he took from the swarm. There was no other option, he too had to get through the crack and bring the swarm back. He had spent his first few months here studying the river and developed a gas that repelled the water. Luckily a good doctor is always prepared and he pulled out a round object with a pin in one end. There wasn't much for Pestilence to do, he simply dropped the gas grenade into the water directly above the crack and watched and the river immediate split trying desperately to escape the vile gas.

Pestilence, floated through the crack unharmed and found himself in a familiar setting. It reminded him of his old life. Tall walls surrounding a court yard and lots of rooms each with a large steel door. The writing on the walls was new, but not unexpected. He felt at ease until he saw a little creature emitting the most intense light he had ever witnessed. "Putain c'est brillant". Then out of the near by building more unknown organisms scurried by, each radiating their own light. Pestilence had never seen such an outbreak before; his duty of care prevented him from pursuing the swarm and ignoring the need to help. "Time to get to work, little ones."

## Abilities

  • Default Keybinding: LMB

  • Default Keybinding: RMB

  • Default Keybinding: SHIFT

## Tips

* Try and guard your Plague Stones. Once you have 4 down it will be really easy to tag a bear with your Shade Gas
* Light Bears can deactivate the Plague Stones you place down. Try to place them close enough together you can move quickly between them

## Trivia

* The most horrible thing Pestilence had ever done was animate a stuffed lion. It never shut up.
* Developing an ability kit for Pestilence took a while to do. We wanted to maintain the heart and soul Plague Doctors while still fitting within the game.