Overview
St. Halssius's House of Healing is an institution in Hernand that was once dedicated to treating mental illness. It has since transformed into something much darker. With access strictly controlled and even family visits denied, the House of Healing resembles a detention center more than any place of actual healing.
The organization no longer practices medicine in any real sense. Instead, it functions as a facility for holding individuals deemed "ideologically impure," particularly people from Demeniss. What began as a medical institution has become a tool of control, and the people running it are hostile to anyone who questions their methods or tries to free the detainees.
Details
Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
Type | Hostile faction |
Region | |
Leader | The Overseer |
Alignment | Hostile |
Former Purpose | Treatment of mental illness |
Current Purpose | Detention of ideologically impure individuals; Visione experimentation |
Associated Quest |
Territory and Locations
The faction controls several locations in Hernand, all tied to its operations:
Location | Description |
|---|---|
St. Halssius's House of Healing | The main facility. A fortified building where detainees are kept under heavy guard. Access is tightly restricted, and there are multiple entry methods for those trying to get inside. |
A trading outpost connected to the faction's supply network. Guards patrol the area. | |
An apothecary that once provided genuine medical supplies. Now serves the faction's interests rather than public health. |
Access and Entry
The House of Healing is heavily guarded and does not admit outsiders freely. During the Familiar Curses quest, players must find a way inside using one of several methods: purchasing the Halssius Priest Outfit from a guard on the east side for 10 silver, buying a St. Halssius Visitor's Pass from the Church of Hernand for 10 silver, pickpocketing guard uniforms, or sneaking in through the rooftops. The Visitor's Pass provides unlimited re-entry.
The entry method chosen determines how the Law System treats the player inside the compound. Unauthorized visitors (those who sneaked in) are treated as intruders. Attacking guards while unauthorized triggers a bounty and potential checkpoint restart. Authorized visitors (those with the outfit or pass) can engage guards freely without criminal consequences.
The Overseer
The facility is led by an individual known as the Overseer, who oversees the day-to-day operations including the forced Visione experiments on detainees. During the events of the Familiar Curses quest, the Overseer confronts Kliff and attempts to justify the use of iron Visione helmets on patients as a form of necessary treatment.
Yann, driven into a frenzy by the experiments performed on him, overpowers the Overseer and forces the Visione helm onto him. This act of retribution gives the Overseer a direct experience of the very torture he inflicted on his patients. Yann then flees the facility, and Kliff must chase him across the rooftops to safety.
Lore and Background
The House of Healing's fall from a medical institution to a detention facility reflects the political instability gripping Hernand and the wider continent of Pywel. The King of Demeniss lies in a coma, and the resulting power vacuum has allowed institutions like St. Halssius's to be co-opted for political purposes. People branded as ideologically impure, a vague label that can be applied to almost anyone inconvenient, are shipped to the facility and locked away.
The denial of family visits is particularly telling. A genuine hospital would welcome family involvement in patient care. The fact that St. Halssius's bars all visitors suggests the people inside are being silenced rather than treated. Players who investigate the facility discover that the "patients" are political prisoners, not mentally ill individuals receiving care.
The use of iron Visione helmets to force visions into patients' minds represents one of the darkest applications of a technology that Kliff uses voluntarily to read memory fragments. The contrast between voluntary use and forced application is a central theme explored in the Familiar Curses questline and beyond.
Combat Encounters
The guards and staff at St. Halssius's facilities are hostile to players. Encounters involve a mix of lightly armored orderlies and more heavily armed guards. The main facility itself has restricted access, so players should expect to fight their way in if they attempt to free detainees or investigate the operation.
St. Halssius's is one of the hostile factions that can be dealt with through the game's liberation mechanics. Clearing the faction from their strongholds restores those areas to normal function and frees any detainees being held.
Related Content
The faction connects to several broader game systems. The Liberation System allows players to retake the faction's occupied locations. Liberating St. Halssius's locations can affect the player's standing with other factions in Hernand and may open up new services or NPCs in the area. The faction's political nature also ties it to the Law System, since actions taken against or in support of the faction can influence regional reputation.