A Tale of the Plague: Requiem Plot Synopsis
The story follows the events of the first, thrusting Amicia and her brother Hugo back into the heart of plague-stricken 14th-century France. The couple travel far south to try and live a normal life, but of course Hugo’s curse prevents them from doing so.
Determined to try and put an end to Macula once and for all, Amicia and Hugo are joined by their friends Lucas and their mother Beatrice as they set out to find answers. But will they find him in Marseille? Or is it the strange island of La Juna where they will find salvation?
The main part of this game that ties everything together is the bond between Hugo and Amicia. Amicia’s internal conflict can be seen throughout the game. Large themes around death, revenge, and righteousness can be felt throughout the game. Amicia suffers a lot in the 17-hour story, torn between helping and loving her brother and stopping the destruction and chaos he has caused.
This is a perfect example of creating a complex, emotionally torn hero in a game – let’s explore it further!
History of Basilius and Child of Embers
Amicia and Hugo’s bond serves as the glue that holds the entire story together, so when Hugo and Amicia inevitably break up towards the end of the story, all hell breaks loose. Before reaching this point, Amicia, Hugo and Sophia arrive on the island of La Cuna and make some surprising revelations. Led by Count Victor and Countess Emily, the group learns that the townspeople worship a god called the Ember Child.
Arnaud tries to convince Hugo to use his rat powers to kill him when he gets the chance to take out the Count, who has unfinished business. Amicia foils their plans and Arnaud is arrested.
The Count and Countess welcome the couple to stay at the castle, where they learn that the couple used to worship another Macula-bearer and named him Ember Child. Theirs is a story that eerily mirrors Hugo’s current situation.
Further evidence—examining and interacting with numerous elements within the castle—reveals that the previous bearer was a boy named Basilius. He was joined by his protector Aelia and became the first bearer of the Prima Macula from 541 AD.
Inside a church with numerous human sacrifices outside, Hugo and Amicia learn that Aelia has been imprisoned after rebelling against the Order. As for Basilius, he was imprisoned by the Order deep within the dungeons, in an underground prison, to fight Macula. Basilius, considering how sad and frightened he was, surrendered to Macula and caused the plague of Justinian. This is (for those who want to know!) the first recorded instance of a major cholera pandemic.
At the castle, after escaping the brutal slaves, Count Victor attacks Amicia, kicking him down the stairs and dislocating his shoulder. He is ready to take Hugo. Countess Emilie is convinced that she is the Child of Embers and therefore follows her orders.
Victor gleefully reveals that he made up the whole story to keep Emily from losing her mind. Embers clings to the Child story, abusing his parents and using it to project onto the people of La Juna.
Amicia is eventually captured by Victor, who taunts her and encourages her to fight him in single combat. Amicia is interrupted and knocked out several times due to her problems. Emilie kills Beatrice (Amicia and Hugo’s mother) on stage by sacrificing her to the Child of Embers.
What’s going on with La Cuna?
When Hugo wakes up and goes to the amphitheater area, he sees what is happening and loses control. He summons rats that eat Emily and many of Victor’s soldiers. Hugo is eventually eaten by Makula, using up all his strength and using the power of these rats to completely destroy the soldiers. However, the Count manages to escape.
Along with Lucas, the trio fall underground and have to climb back out. While there, Amicia goes astray and breaks down crying in a secret room (which also has a Souvenir collection!). Eventually, the trio is reunited with Sofia and they manage to escape.
Is the count ripe? Does Arnaud survive?
Unfortunately, the Count follows Sofia’s ship and the group ends up boarding and shipwrecked. Victor beats Hugo up and takes him to Marseilles, despite realizing that his powers are no good in water because he can’t summon rats. Why she didn’t choose to build a watery prison for Hugo and keep him at sea is anyone’s guess!
Before being knocked out, Hugo sees Amicia get shot in the stomach while trying to fight Arnaud. He faints but believes her to be dead.
Lucas and Sofia survive the encounter on the boat, having previously fallen overboard. As for Arnaud, the battle on deck spills over to the sandy shipwrecks outside Marseilles after a few days.
Victor took Hugo to the city, while he himself was covered in blood and decided to settle his unfinished business. He eventually overpowers Arnaud and kills him completely. But before Arnaud can pass, he removes Victor’s helmet and encourages Amicia to shoot. He does so, hits him in the face with his sling, and kills him.
What’s happening in Marseille?
When Hugo wakes up, Macula takes complete control, destroying everything in sight. Lucas and Amicia are joined by Sofia, and together the three head to the big city to find Hugo. Rats were allowed to run rampant, destroying everything. Sofia is injured and can only go so far, Lucas and Amicia team up once again to find the core of the city’s plague – the location of Hugo.
Realizing that this is the only way to stop Hugo, Amicia is faced with an impossible choice, given that she is now fully fused with Macula. Here, the story is a little different, but with a few lines of dialogue and a slightly off-kilter final scene. Hugo approaches Amicia and tells her that the only way to stop this is to kill Hugo. Placing a sister, especially one as close as Hugo and Amicia, is a terrible choice.
If you choose to kill Hugo yourself, the final epilogue triggers immediately. However, if you choose not to fire, Lucas will replace. However, it leads to a bad ending with your partner as Amicia and Lucas part on bad terms.
Farewell, King Hugo
Epilogue to Tale of the Plague: Requiem sees the narrative jump forward one year. Amicia shaved off her hair completely (potentially as a personal reminder that the Count cut off her locks) and was joined by Sofia.
They talk briefly about Lucas (which differs depending on the previous choice made in Marseille) before walking off together in the forest. Sofia is now engaged in trade, has entered into a business and has decided to give up her pirate ways. As for Amicia, she intends to hit the road and explore the world, determined to find the next Carrier and Protector wherever they appear.
Before that, Amicia bids a fond farewell by visiting the mountaintop where Hugo is buried one last time. It’s quite a symbolic sight, given that there are flowers all over his grave. Moreover, the mountains in the distance, the uncluttered environment, and the birds perched on the large stone plantations all feed into the dream Hugo mentioned earlier.
Now, it can be argued that the real dream that Hugo had was not about La Juna at all, but rather foreshadowed his death and what happened after.
Is Amicia to blame for Macula consuming Hugo?
Interestingly, Amicia is just as much to blame for Hugo’s fall to the dark side. Throughout the game, Amicia is torn between her love for Hugo and her righteous desire to stop anyone who stands in their way in order to cure Hugo.
During the first encounter with a wave of enemies in the lumberyard, Hugo pleads with Amicia to stop, but he doesn’t, constantly shooting enemies with his slingshot and almost laughing with glee at the sweet taste of revenge.
Amicia then encourages Hugo to use his rat powers to destroy enemies, resulting in Hugo’s increased strength and confidence, and he decides to take matters into his own hands. This all culminates in an explosive argument between the two, with Amicia telling Hugo that he should listen to her and not take lives so easily. Of course, Hugo bites and points out that he does it and does it throughout the game, which could be a sign that Hugo learned this behavior from him.
It’s just a theory, of course, but it would add an undercurrent of tragic irony to a story rich in thematic material.
Is there a post-credits scene?
There really is! Stay after the credits, because one scene depicts a newborn baby wrapped in a navy blue cloth. When the camera moves up, the macular features are visible, complete with darkened veins. It seems the cycle has already started again and Amicia has a new Carrier (and potentially another Protector) to find.