Termina
This article is about the Festival of Termina. For the game of the same name as the event, see Fear & Hunger 2: Termina.
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"It is a festival to give you, the humans, a peek to grandeur and a chance for illustrious reality. The festival to end all festivals."
- Per'kele explaining the Festival of Termina to the protagonist.
The Festival of Termina is the event the plot of Fear & Hunger 2: Termina is centered around. The Trickster Moon God has decided to 'invite' fourteen people to the town of Prehevil to "join his jubilee of cosmic proportions". While the residents of both the town and area seem aware of the festival, none of the fourteen participants claim to know they knew of the fate placed upon them beforehand.
Lore
The Festival of Termina is purportedly orchestrated by the Old Gods, with Rher, the Moon God, most frequently intertwined with its lore. Despite its prominence, the true significance of this festival eludes comprehension, presenting itself as a tumultuous free-for-all, a kind of battle royale involving multiple contenders vying for victory and, purportedly, a grand prize at its conclusion. Even scholars dedicated to the study of magic, like O'saa, find themselves confounded by the festival's enigma, while the common folk remain largely ignorant of its existence or deeper implications. Termina, however, carries a somber association with periods of profound chaos and upheaval. Throughout history, the Moon God and a deity named Per'kele have been accused of instigating massacres and inspiring horrendous deeds, casting a shadow of lunacy over its name. Yet, beyond these fragmented accounts, the Festival of Termina and Rher remain veiled in mystery to the general population.
In reality, Rher departed from this world many years ago, with Per'kele, his supposed servant, utilizing the traces of his essence to maintain the illusion of his presence. Per'kele was once a mortal, participating in a past iteration of the Festival of Termina. Whether he emerged as the winner is unknown, yet he states he became "truly born" after the experience. Per'kele's true devotion lies elsewhere: the Sulfur God. He employs the Festival of Termina as a recruitment ground for the Cult of Sulfur, with the Festival winners being reborn in the sulfur pits.
In 1942, the setting of Fear & Hunger 2: Termina, the city of Prehevil becomes the stage for three consecutive Festivals of Termina. Each unfolds in rapid succession: the initial festival pits Prehevil civilians against each other; the second installment sees Bremen soldiers and forces dispatched by the Kaiser, arriving in the aftermath of the Second Great War; and finally, the third festival marks the beginning of the game itself, with 14 contestants arriving in Prehevil by train, each driven by their own unique motivations. It is implied that supernatural forces prevent the contestants from escaping Prehevil so that the festivals are unavoidable.
According to the fragmented information available to players throughout the game, before the first festival, residents of Prehevil and nearby settlements began experiencing recurring dreams of Per'kele's face following a night of the full moon. The city itself seems to have been greatly affected by the recent events, as participants from the third festival hailing from Prehevil reminisce about the town's former days, describing it as once being in significantly better condition, with structures noticeably less shabby and deteriorated. The houses appear frozen in time, as if normal life was halted in the blink of an eye, with whatever took place there occurring abruptly and without warning. The few surviving villagers, driven to the brink of madness, display symptoms of Moonscorch, most of them engaging in frenzied attacks against anyone who crosses their paths; the presence of multiple living citizens might be an indication that the initial festival failed to produce a winner.
Shortly after the conclusion of the first festival, the Bremen forces occupying Prehevil too became embroiled in the deadly game, and only one surviving soldier is encountered. His dialogue hints at the imminent end of a three-day limit for his festival, indicating that the third festival began before the conclusion of the second one.
The third festival is the pivotal event of the plot of Fear & Hunger 2: Termina, which occurs within the player's specific run after they've chosen their protagonist from among the contestants who just arrived at Prehevil by train. Like its predecessors, the third festival also operates within a tight 3-day timeframe and demands that only one contestant emerges as the ultimate survivor. However, no official information has been released regarding the outcome, leaving the potential winner, if there is one, shrouded in mystery. Additionally, the progression of this festival could have been disrupted by the unfolding events related to Project Logic, which could potentially bring the festival to an abrupt halt.
Trivia
- The exact date of Rher's departure from the world of Fear & Hunger is never mentioned in the games, so it is unclear when Per'kele and the Sulfur Cult took over the Festival of Termina. In fact, the only prior Festival of Termina mentioned is the one in which Per'kele competed as a contestant.
- If O'saa is selected as the main character, his companion Nas'hrah will immediately sense that "something seems off" at the start of the festival, noting that it deviates from Rher's typical approach; however, Nas'hrah never provides a complete explanation for this deviation.
References