THE OUTSIDER AND GRANNY RAGS: THE DESCENT INTO DEVOTION


I. FROM ARISTOCRACY TO MADNESS: VERA MORAY'S TRANSFORMATION

[From in -game lore & The Heart's revelations]:

  • Vera Moray's Origins: Before becoming "Granny Rags," Vera Moray was a highborn aristocrat:

  • Born Vera Dubhghoill to a wealthy family

  • Married to Lord Preston Moray, a nobleman and noted explorer

  • Described as the "most beautiful woman of her age"

  • A societal darling who hosted the most elegant parties in Dunwall

  • The Fateful Expedition: Everything changed during an expedition to the Pandyssian Continent with her husband:

    • Sometime around 1807
    • Lord Moray led a team of natural philosophers to explore uncharted territories
    • During this expedition, Vera encountered The Outsider
    • While others in the expedition died of disease and accidents, she returned transformed

[From The Heart & Granny Rags' dialogue] :

  • Return to Dunwall: After her experience in Pan dyssia:
    • Gradually withdrew from society
    • Began showing signs of obsession with occult practices
    • Eventually abandoned her aristocratic life entirely
    • Her husband died under mysterious circumstances
    • Disappeared from high society, presumed dead by many

II. THE OUTSIDER'S MARK: HIS SPECIAL "DEAR VERA"

[From Dishonored 2 dialogue & collectibles]:

  • Unique Form of Address: The Outs ider refers to Granny Rags in an unusually intimate manner:

  • "My dear Vera"

  • Uses a tone different from his typically detac hed approach to Marked individuals

  • Suggests a particular fondness or interest in her transformation

  • The Marking: Unlike other characters whose Marking is shown or described in detail, Vera 's exact moment of receiving the Mark remains mysterious:

    • Some texts suggest it occurred in Pandyssia
    • Others imply it happened after her return to Dunwall
    • The Outsider himself says, "She went to the Void and came back changed"

[From Death of the Outsider additional context]:

  • Vera is confirmed as one of only eight individuals bearing The Outsider's Mark during this historical period
  • The timing suggests she may have been one of the earliest Marke d individuals of the "modern" era
  • May have been Marked around the same time as Daud

III. POWERS AND TRANSFORMATION : BEYOND HUMAN

[From gameplay encounters & The Heart]:

  • Unique Abilities: Gran ny Rags possessed several distinctive powers from her Mark:

  • Rat Affinity: Could summon, control, and communicate with plague rats

  • Rat Form: Could transform herself into a swarm of rats for movement and escape

  • Vitality: Extended her life far beyond normal human limits

  • **Blindsight **: Despite physical blindness, could "see" through supernatural means

  • Physical Transformation: Her appearance changed dramatically over time:

  • Milky white, blind eyes

  • Withered, ancient appearance despite her relative "youth" (approximately 70-80 during game events)

  • Eventually developed abilities to teleport and create rue s (mystical invisible barriers)

[ From environmental storytelling & notes]:

  • Vera appears to have welcomed these changes, writing in one note: " The rats speak to me now. They have such interesting things to say."
  • Neighbors report ed strange sounds and rituals from her home years before the events of the plague

IV. DEVOTIONAL PRACTICES: OBSESSIVE WORSHIP

[From Granny Rags' apartment & shrine]:

  • ** Elaborate Shrine**: Maintained one of the most complex Outsider shrines in Dunwall:

    • Multiple runes and bone charms
    • Purple fabr ics and whale oil lamps
    • Constant offerings including blood and valuables
    • Personal items and portraits from her aristocratic past twisted into occult objects

  • Ritual Practices:

    • Regular blood sacrifices (both animal and human)
    • Brewing " spirit water" from processed whale oil
    • Carving runes while reciting invocations
    • Collecting bones and teeth for ritual purposes

[From her diary entries & audiographs]:

  • Her writings reveal increasing devotion :
    • Early entries show curiosity and gratitude
    • Middle period displays growing obsession
    • Later writings demonstrate complete devotion and identity transformation
    • Refers to The Outsider as "my love" and "my dark-eyed groom"

V. THE OUTSIDER'S INTEREST: FASCINATION WITH TRANSFORMATION

[From The Outsider's comments about Granny Rags ]:

  • To Corv o/Emily: "She was beautiful once. Now she's something else entirely."
  • Appears intrigued by her complete transformation from society lady to witch
  • Notes: "Few others have embraced what I offer so... thoroughly."
  • His tone suggests she represents an interesting case study in how his gifts can change someone

*** [From Dishonored 2 additional context]***:

  • The Outsider mentio ns that Vera "sees things no one else can" - suggesting her blindness opened new types of perception
  • Comment s on how "she found a deeper beauty in the Void than she ever found in royal courts"

VI. THE CAMONNA TONG CONNECTION: A WEB OF INFLUENCE

[From quest structure & environmental storytelling]:

  • Slackjaw Conflict: Granny Rags' rivalry with Slackj aw and the Bottle Street Gang:

    • Uses her powers to disrupt their operations
    • Gradually kidnaps gang members for her "stew"
    • Eventually captures Slackjaw himself for a ritual

  • Territorial Control: Despite appearing as a harmless old woman, she effectivel y controls parts of Distillery Distr ict:

  • Creates boundaries using runes

  • Uses rats to patrol her territory

  • Established her own twisted "order" in chaos

[From optional conversation s & outcomes]:

  • Player can choose to help either side:
    • Helping Granny leads to Slackjaw's death and her escape
    • Helping Slackjaw leads to confronting and potentially kill ing Granny
    • This represents how The Outsider's chosen often work at cross-purposes

VII. THE DESCENT INTO MADNESS: GENUINE INSANITY OR TRANSCENDENCE?

[From Heart revelations & environmental details]:

  • Ambiguous Mental State: Granny Rags' madness is presented ambiguously:

    • On one hand, exhibits clear delusions and disorganized thinking
    • On the other, demonstrates genuine supernatural awareness and capabilities
    • Raises question of whether her "madness" is actually a different form of perception

  • The Outsider's Commentary:

    • Never describes her as "mad " or "insane"
    • Instead uses terms like "changed," "transformed," or "something else entirely"
    • Suggests her state may be a form of transcendence rather than mental deterioration

*** [From her dialogue patterns]***:

  • Switches between lucidity and confusion:
  • Some moments shows strategic thinking and manipulation
  • Other times appears lost in delusions about "guests for dinner" and "gentlemen callers"
  • These fluctuations suggest she exists between worlds mentally as well as physically

VIII. CAMEO IN DISHON ORED 2: LEGACY BEYOND DEATH

[From Dishonored 2 references & collectibles]:

  • Silve r Institute Painting: A portrait of Vera Moray in her youth appears in the Conservatory mission:

    • Labele d "Young Lady Boyle [sic]" (a likely reference error)
    • Shows her aristocratic beauty before her transformation
    • Creates visual contrast with her withered appearance in the first game

  • The Outsider's Reminiscence: When discussing the painting, The Outsider provides additional context:

  • "My d ear Vera. After her husband dragged her around the Pandyssian Continent, she returned with new interests."

  • "She saw beauty in the Void that she never found in the salons and smoking rooms of Dunwall."

*** [From timeline consistency]***:

  • If Granny Rags was killed in the first game, The Outsider speaks of her in the past tense
  • If she escaped, his comments remain ambig uous about her current status
  • This ack nowledges player choices while establ ishing her historical significance regardless of fate

IX. SYMBOLIC REPRESENTATION: THE FALL FROM GRACE

[From narrative theme analysis]:

  • Narrative Function: Granny Rags represents the most extreme example of what devotion to The Outsider can lead to:

    • A cautionary tale of complete abandonment of humanity
    • A mirror showing how power corrupts whe n embraced without restraint
    • A contrast to protagonists who maintain some moral agency despite Void powers

  • Social Commentary: Her transformation from aristocrat to witch serves as social critique:

  • Suggests the refinement of Dunwall's upper class is merely a thin veneer

  • Implies The Outsider simply reveals what alr eady exists beneath social pretenses

  • Her behavior (cannibalism, cruelty) mirrors the exploitative nature of Dunwall's aristocracy in different form

[From visual & environmental design]:

  • Her apartments track this descent visually :
    • Remnants of fine furniture an d paintings from her past
    • These refined objects now covered in filth, blood, and occult symbols
    • The juxtaposition creates powerful visual storytelling about her transformation

X. THE RITUAL OF EVERMORE: ULTIMATE DEVOTION

[From final confrontation in original Dishonored]:

  • Final Evolution: If confronte d by Corvo, Granny Rags is fou nd preparing her greatest ritual:

  • "The Ritual of Evermore" - implied to be an attempt at further transcendence

  • Requires Slackjaw's death as sacrifice

  • Uses her cameo (personal portrait as a young woman) as a ritual focus

  • Would potentially grant her even greater Void powers

  • Boss Battle Significance: As a potential final enemy, she represents:

    • A mirror of what Corvo could become with unrestricted use of Void powers
    • The logical extreme of Outsider worship
    • A challenge possessing similar powers to the protagonist

***[From outcome analysis]* **:

  • If killed, her death requires special circumstances:
    • Must destroy her cameo (connection to human past)
    • Suggests she had transcended normal mortality through Void connection
    • The Outsider makes no direct comment on her death, but silence itself may be significant

The relationship between The Outsider and Granny Rags represents the most extreme example of devotion and transformation in the Dishonored universe. Unlike other Marked individuals who used their powers for specific goals while maintaining their core identities, Vera Moray completely abandoned her human life and identity, embracing a new existence defined entirely by her conn ection to The Outsider and the Void.

Her story serves as both a fascinating character study and a warning about the transformative nature of Void power when embraced wit hout restraint. The Outsider 's unusual fondness in addressing her as "my dear Vera " suggests he found her complete metamor phosis particularly interesting - perhaps because few others so fully abandoned their humanity to embrace what he offered.

Granny Rags stands as a crucial example of The Outsider's complex morality - he neither encouraged nor prevented her descent, merely observed with interest as she transformed herself through the power he provided, demonstrating his role as catalyst rather than director of human choices.

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