- There's... an old story... It tells of the Prima Macula... The alchemists say it was the first corruption... and that it silently travels in the blood of certain families. ... But something happened... The Great Break... and the Macula awoke... in Hugo's blood. ... The Macula cares for neither good nor evil... It evolves with its host... to change things... the world...[src]
- Lucas explains what is known about the Prima Macula
The Prima Macula (Latin for "first spot") or simply the Macula, is an ancient curse poisoning the blood of certain families. Despite initial indications, it is both somewhat self-aware and malicious. It can, for some unknown reasons, awake in the blood of a person at birth. As the Macula develops in the blood of the potential carrier, hordes of rats will start appearing in the surrounding region, spreading the Bite and causing a major plague outbreak. It plagues the de Rune family, and in particular has awoken in Hugo de Rune's blood, giving rise to the Black Plague. The Prima Macula is directly tied to the rats and the plague, making its carrier able to commune with the disease and the hordes of rats.
History[]
Background[]
While it is not known where or when the Prima Macula first manifested or even how, as well, it is unknown if it is a sort of magical curse (due to the fact it can bestow individuals, such as Hugo de Rune, with the power to control the plagues of the vicious rats), or an evil spirit that can infest people's bloodline. Even though all this is currently unconfirmed, the Prima Macula's influence, and its victims, can been traced as far back as Justinian's plague in 541 A.D., over eight centuries before the events of the story. Sixth century Roman frescos depict an infant being born having already manifested the curse. What knowledge that survived the plague and all following manifestations was kept in the Sanguinis Itinera, a book declared forbidden and locked away.
Before Hugo's birth, it was known that the Macula lived in the de Rune family bloodline, but some time after his birth, Hugo experienced "The Great Break" as the Macula within him awoke and had already progressed close to its first threshold by November 1348. While his parents Béatrice and Robert de Rune did everything they could to fight the curse and keep Hugo hidden, even from his own sister Amicia, the Inquisition and the Catholic Church had been watching the family for years, well aware that Hugo was the new carrier.
A Plague Tale: Innocence[]
In "The de Rune Legacy", when Vitalis Bénévent contracted the Bite, he ordered Nicholas to raid the de Rune estate and capture Hugo so that Vitalis could "take" the Prima Macula for himself. Hugo would escape with his sister; however, and Lucas, an apprentice to Laurentius, would finally complete an elixir to halt the Macula's progression thanks to knowledge from the Sanguinis Itinera. While the Inquisition often came close to capturing him it was not until late December 1348 that they would finally succeed.
In "Blood Ties", once captured, some of Hugo's blood was taken and injected into Vitalis, and then Hugo was put through a trial that forced him to cross his first threshold, which allowed Vitalis to cross as well with both of them manifesting the ability to control the plague rat swarms. Hugo was then forced to use his powers to try and kill his sister at the Château d'Ombrage, but he would instead kill Nicholas and turn his ever-growing power onto Vitalis.
In "Coronation", Hugo and Vitalis used their individual powers to battle in the desecrated Town Cathedral, with Vitalis having an initial advantage as his rat swarms were not encumbered by light, but with his sister's support, Hugo was able to defeat and kill the Inquisitor, ending the Macula in his blood.
In "For Each Other", while the Prima Macula lives on in Hugo's blood, he maintains control over it now and he has put an end to the plague. As remnants of the Inquisition are still looking for him, the de Runes and Lucas leave Aquitaine to seek a quiet, peaceful, safe life together elsewhere.
A Plague Tale: Requiem[]
In "Under a New Sun", after six months of peaceful respite, the group, en route to the Red City, is entangled in the aftermath of a thieving raid, where the owners are intent on killing anyone they believe to be a thief. Just as they are about to kill Amicia, Hugo summons rats to devour them as he loses consciousness from the stress, which ultimately leads to the reawakening of the Macula. In a dream, Hugo has visions of a phoenix calling him to a mysterious island, where he believes he will find the cure for his affliction.
In "Tales and Revelations", in search of answers to Hugo's unexplained dreams, Amicia, Hugo, and Sophia discovered a map based on the Order's symbol. It led them to a sanctuary, once owned by the college of alchemists. There, they secretly witnessed a pagan ritual led by the Count and his wife, who longed to become the parents of the Child of Embers. Amicia and Hugo also learned about the existence of a former Macula carrier, Basilius, and his protector, Aelia Dragas, who was taken away from the child and brought to a fort.
In "The Cradle of Centuries", the trio found an entrance to an underground temple under the island's map. There, they discover the fate of the former carrier and his protector: Aelia failed to save Basilius. Feeling abandoned and alone, the boy died, unleashing the plague of Justinian as he did so. Yet, this shows Amicia the truth - that Hugo will live if Amicia stays by his side, and they live a peaceful life.
Amicia, Hugo, and Lucas staring at a massive rat sack
In "Nothing Left", Amicia is devastated by grief after her mother's death and Hugo is not himself anymore, overwhelmed by the Macula. With Lucas' help they cross a massive underground rats' nest. Amicia gathered all her energy to protect her brother from the vicious influence of the Macula. Hugo slowly came back to life. He insisted on saving Arnaud, who was about to be hanged. They succeeded and eventually caught up with Sophia, before sailing away on her ship, heading to the continent to find a home where Amicia, Hugo and Lucas can live the rest of their life.
In "Dying Sun", Hugo unleashed a massive cloud of Nebula that would allow the rats to spread unchecked everywhere.
In "King Hugo", as Amicia fights her way to Hugo after entering the Nebula, it is revealed that Hugo has irreversibly given himself over to the Macula. She is then forced to try and save Hugo, only to realize as his fading consciousness guides her through the Nebula that he cannot be saved, and she must kill him to save him from the eternal suffering of being the Nebula's core and the world to prevent another great plague. She is then forced to deliver a killing blow to her younger brother. This saves the world, but leaves her as the only remaining member of her family left alive.
In "Legacy of the de Rune Family", a year since Hugo's death, the presence of the Macula appears to have disappeared. In a post-credits scene set in the modern era, a child is on a ventilator, with signs of the Macula on the skin.
Behavior and Personality[]
The Prima Macula is an ancient evil that thrives in the dark and despises the sun.
Symptoms[]
The Prima Macula is an affliction that evolves with its host, but as time goes on, its symptoms vary.
Dormancy[]
The carrier experiences no symptoms, but will pass the curse onto their descendants.
The Great Break[]
The curse leaves dormancy and manifests into its "original state". The rats start to appear.
Original State[]
The carrier experiences occasional headaches accompanied by a ringing noise and a sense of dread, most often when rats or potential danger is nearby. Weak spells may also occur, necessitating assistance in being able to move. The rats spread and attack all living and dead flesh they can find, including the carrier and those close to him. They can only be driven back with brighter light, such as from a torch, a lantern or the sun, as they evaporate very quickly in the light.
Pre-threshold[]
Headaches and weak spells become more severe and frequent. Voices can be heard in the carrier's head, and they experience a sensation of something growing in their body. A web of blackened veins begins to spread from the heart and up the carrier's neck. The connection between the rats and the carrier intensifies, especially for the rats in places where the carrier has lived for a long time. This is shown by the way individual swarms of rats run in coordinated circles, including around dead people who have lived with the carrier. They also evolve the ability to group up and form twister-like, swirling mounds of rats to hurl themselves against light sources to extinguish them. Approaching the first threshold the carrier may begin to manifest the ability to control rats. By concentrating and focusing on a specific spot in the mind, the carrier can send the rats nearby to this spot, where they will then cavort closely together if they are not blocked by light. In this way, he can also sic the rats on other people. However, the carrier still faces the risk of the rats attacking him too if he does not divert them with the aforementioned act of concentration.
First Threshold[]
The carrier experiences excruciating pain and the inability to walk at all. Chances of the carrier dying from the pain are significant.
Post-threshold[]
Pain seems to abate but the blackened veins become even more apparent, reaching across the host's face, and later also abating as the markings disappear. The carrier can now fully control rats. Even if the carrier is not explicitly concentrating on them, the rats no longer attack him and his companions. The carrier may experience changes in their voice, as was the case with Vitalis.
Second Threshold[]
It is not known what exactly happens to the carrier when he passes the second threshold.
Post-second Threshold[]
- We had six months of respite after he passed the second threshold...[src]
The further progression of the Macula appears to come to a halt for months and it is mainly reawakened and further driven forward by emotional distress. By this point at the latest, the rats are back to a state where they would also attack the carrier or at least his companions to eat them if the carrier does not restrain them. Although the rats can still be deterred with light and no longer form twister-like, swirling mounds of rats to hurl themselves against light sources to extinguish them, they now appear in numbers so large that they look like huge waves that crash down on one and simply smother the fire from torches, for example. As the Macula progresses, the carrier can again control the rats more consciously, for example to sic them on other people. Only this time, unlike before, it looks to him as if he is moving with the controlled rats in his mind. As he progresses towards the final threshold by further accepting the Macula, the number of rats he can control at once increases.
Last Threshold[]
- See also: Nebula
When the carrier fully gives himself to the Macula, it sends and gains full control over trillions upon trillions of rats. The Nebula is released, an ash-like, dense fog that allows the rats to spread completely unchecked, as the fog can smother flames and obscure the sun to such an extent that its light can no longer harm the rats. This is why the Nebula is also known as "the Sun Killer" and "the Light Devourer". The wearer is trapped in the spherical center of the Nebula, its cocoon, and loses almost all consciousness. In the immediate area around the sphere, all laws of nature are suspended and outsiders who enter this area see very strange environments, for example, based on their character and what is holding them back. With the diminishing remains of the carrier's consciousness, outsiders can be guided through this area.
Powers and Abilities[]
The carrier of the Prima Macula, once during and past the first threshold, gains the ability to control the plague rats that normally roam at will. This is a powerful offensive ability, even in the case of the less experienced Hugo whose rats could not overcome light.
The carrier can fine tune their control over the rats to such an extent that the creatures become an extension of one's self, and can be used as living armor to protect from damage, as a massive arm to bring crashing down on an enemy, and even fundamentally alter the rats, as was the case with Vitalis. His "angels" lost their hair, gaining a pale appearance, and were unencumbered by light.
The disease also seems to render its host immune to the Bite, as before transferring the curse to his own blood Vitalis' face was slowly being destroyed by the effects of the disease but afterward his face is clear and he is able to walk on his own again.