| ⚠️SPOILER ALERT⚠️ |
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| This page contains information about plot points and future story developments so read at your own risk! |
"How can you want a person and hate her with all your might at the same time?"
Mary Brown is a love interest in the book Arcanum.
About Mary
Mary is caring, determined, calm and bright. She works hard to achieve her goals and doesn't give up even when there are obstacles in the way. Yet, it seems that in the past, she didn't value her work and herself highly enough and didn't have the courage to speak up for herself. But in the course of the story she demonstrates to have become a strong and confident woman.
She is a civil engineer previously working at Bridge Corporation under the leadership of Selena (the main character). According to Selena, Mary overlooked a problem in a project that could have cost several people lives and the reputation of the company. Although they solved the problem during construction, Selena didn't forgive her mistake, even with Mary's pleas about her sick mother, sleepless nights and drowning in debt, and with the promise that she would do her best.
After being fired, Mary saw her dreams shattered to small pieces. But if you choose the diamond choice in Season 1, Episode 4 you find out that she was able to rebuild her career after her mother recovered. She worked in several jobs outside his area before finally managed to get a job in a small construction firm. She also realized that she couldn't blame Selena for her own mistake and that being fired was necessary for her to achieve what she wanted.
You get to see other insights into Mary's time at Bridge Corporation in the diamnond scenes in Season 1, Episode 9 and Season 2, Episode 3. Mary worked hard trying to impress Selena, whom she admired greatly, but she had never apprieciated her work -Selena used her, kept giving her more and more work, watching her struggle and paying her only half of what she deserved. Mary never asked for more and thought she deserved such mistreatment.
In Totspel reality, Mary is a wealthy widow who shows interest in Lilith (the name of the main character in the parallel realities). She thinks Lilith is a very interesting person, unlike other people in Totspel, because she can't figure out her motives. Mary cares about what Lilith thinks about her, and is jealous of her relationship with Bert and the attention she gave him. She is angry that Lilith chose him instead of her.
In this reality, Mary seems carefree and light-hearted at first, but there is hidden maliciousness and vengefulness within her. She can hide her real feelings and emotions well and doesn't like to reveal her real self to others. She conveys the feeling of calmness and nobility. Mary is very perceptive and insightful, she can notice things that others don't. And she was deemed the most dangerous woman in the city by Josephine.
Mary believes she was born in Totspel. Her late husband was exceedingly kind but had health problems. He loved her very much, but it was never reciprocated. Mary claimed she thought he was wonderful, so she felt guilty thinking she was taking advantage of him since she didn't love him. She shows no sorrow during her husband's funeral and seems to be glad that he's no longer there. Mary confesses to Lilith that she always had to pretend she enjoyed his affections or that she cared about his health problems. In reality, she hated him for a long time and never forgived him for what he had done to her (Note: explanation in the next two paragraphs). She decided to take a revenge on him even after he died - she buried him in unmarked grave on unnamed cementary. She thinks that after she forgets him, his existence will lose its meaning and his death will go unnoticed, and he will become insignificant. Nevertheless, she is offended when someone asks if she was the one to end her husband's life. She is grateful if Lilith says she doesn't care if she really killed him or not.
In Season 1, Episode 6 if you win the "game of tarot" with her, she tells you her secret. She grew up in a very poor family where sometimes they didn't eat for several days. Her mother got sick when she was little and while she tried to make ends meet despite the tormenting pain, she struggled. Mary dreamed of buying her mother a house where the maids would do everything for her, where she could rest. However, this dream didn't come true: her mom died before it could happen and Mary's stepfather sold her to a brothel.
While she was in the brothel, Mr. Brown paid extra money for Mary's services so he could be her only client. Therefore, he was her first and last client. Later, he bought her out and married her. She hated him for taking advantage of her, for the fact that she should be grateful for his desire to own her completely. She hated being a wife of a man who ransomed her like a thing.
In the final episode of Season 1, you find out that Mary manipulated Bert with the help of her candles and that she had a deal with Lilith and the Salisburys.
In Season 2, we enter a new world where all the characters play other roles. Valle Deliria is a beautiful country ruled by dryads. In this reality, Mary is the Queen's Counselor of the kingdom. Her family has helped the queens with wise advice since the beginning of time. She helps Selena/Lilith settle in and learn about Valle Deliria's history and customs. In Valle Deliria, Mary seems to be her real self again. She's calm, but seems to be cold and strong like never before. And just like in Season 1, she's observant and insightful.
Season 3 takes place in the Kingdom of Shadows, that consists of many villages and the capital. In this reality, many characters represent characters from fairytales. Mary seems to represent Little Red Riding Hood. She wears a hooded red cape and has two wolves, Odium and Amare (which mean hate and love respectively, two strongest emotions). She is an owner of a brothel, where she also lives. She takes great care of girls who work for her and has a bodyguard, Teddy. If she is your love interest, she trusts Selena/Lilith without any reservations even though she does not understand where it comes from. She agrees to join her and her companinions on their quest to find Tarot Reader. Her ultimate fate in this reality depends on whether or not the player managed to get Seth's Heart.
To find out about the different possible endings for this character in the story, read the "Possible endings" content further down on this page (contains major spoilers).
Relationships
- Selena/Lilith (MC): She was her boss in real world, where their relationship was strained, Mary was both angry at her and feared her, yet still she admired and wanted to impress the MC; and Selena didn't care about her at all. In Totspel, Mary is very fond of the MC and wanted to get to know her better for a long time. In Valle Deliria, they start out with a clean slate and depending on the player's choices they can either get close or have a strictly professional relationship. In the Kingdom of Shadows, depending on your previous choices, Selena/Lilith may quickly gain Mary's trust and later, they can have either friendly or romantic relationship.
- Liam Salisbury: In Totspel, they are neighbors, but don't interact much. However, she is very glad to help him with "business". In Valle Deliria, he is Queen's son, so they know and trust each other. In the Kingdom of Shadows, both of them are companions of Selena/Lilith in her search for the Tarot Reader, and they have a friendly relationship.
- Bert: In Totspel, they are acquaintances and Mary "helps" him with his migraines, and he visits her sometimes. Mary is also jealous of his relationship with Selena/Lilith. In Valle Deliria, he is Queen's brother, so they know and trust each other. In the Kingdom of Shadows, they meet in a pub and Mary is sceptical of him due to him being a thief.
- Robert Steltz: In Totspel, he is an outsider who stays in Salisbury's hotel. In Valle Deliria, he is the commander-in-chief in Altergrove, the enemy kingdom. In the Kingdom of Shadows, they are both companions of Selena/Lilith in her journey to find the Tarot Reader, and after initial sceptism they may develop a friendly relationship depending on the player's choices.
- Damon: He is only introduced in Season 2, as the King of Altergrove, Valle Deliria's enemy kingdom, so Mary is suspicious of his intentions. In the Kingdom of Shadows, he is a leader of robbers who attacked Mary, Selena/Lilith and their companions, but then ends up helping them on the last step on the way to the Tarot Reader.
- Mr. Brown: He is only mentioned in Season 1. They were married in Totspel reality. Mary said that she thought highly of him, but never developed any feelings for him. However, the truth is that she hated him and she always only pretended to care for him.
- Kathy: She only appears in Season 1. She is Mary's servant in Totspel reality. Mr. Brown offered her a job when he and Mary got married. She believes that Mary hated Mr. Brown.
- Josephine: In Totspel, they are neighbors and allies, despite Josephine says to Selena/Lilith that Mary is one of the most dangerous women in town. In Valle Deliria, both live at the palace, but aren't very close. In the Kingdom of Shadows, they meet in Juvenis, where Josephine lives.
- Amelie: In Totspel, they seem well-acquainted, as Amelie was invited to Mr. Brown's funeral and Mary's tea party. In Valle Deliria, they both live in the palace, but don't interact much. In the Kingdom of Shadows, their paths do not cross.
- Queen Margaret: She only appears in Season 2, as the Queen of Valle Deliria. Mary is Queen's Counselor and thus, Margaret trusts her a lot.
- Teddy: He only appears briefly in Season 3, as her brothel security. Mary seems to trust him a lot, as she leaves him in charge of the place in her absence.
- Odium and Amare: Mary's wolves in Season 3. They are like family to her. Their names mean "hate" and "love". They are smart and loyal, each with his own character. Their fate in this reality depends on the player's choices.
Quotes
- "I wish I had died, not him." (S1, Ep3)
- “Well... What am I doing? You can't show your feelings in public, right? No one likes it.” (S1, Ep3)
- “Well, you'll have the chance to get to know me." (S1, Ep3)
- "Lilith, I don't know what's the matter, but you seem different. It's a real crime that we talked so little before!" (S1, Ep6)
- "When men say they don't need a woman, it means they need a specific one, but they can't get her." (S1, Ep6)
- "I was so angry when I found out that you were having fun with Bert... That you chose him and not me... But you avoided meeting me. I thought I wasn't worthy of your attention." (S1, Ep6)
- "Now the room smells like her!" (Diamond scene - S1, Ep6)
- "Because sometimes only death can teach us something." (Diamond scene - S1, Ep9)
- "I'm afraid I'm going to hell either way." (S1, Ep10)
- "You're my pain, Lilith." (Diamond scene - S1, Ep10)
- "How can you want a person and hate her with all your might at the same time?" (Diamond scene - S1, Ep10)
- "You are overconfident. I may be wrong, but it seems that you notice other people's misconduct more easily than your own." (Diamond scene - S2, Ep3)
- "Being a good person is a choice. And it is not an easy one." (Diamond scene - S2, Ep3)
Trivia
Totspel (Season 1):
- Mary is a terrible cook - and yet she never let the servants cook for her.
- She makes candles that have various properties when lit. For example, they can reveal one's hidden desires or supress someone's will.
- She doesn't like waiting.
- After being touched by Tarot Reader, she obtained a bit of "darkness" she cannot get rid of. Later, she found a way to live with it and manage it.
Valle Deliria (Season 2):
- Mary comes from a family whose members advised queens since the beginning of time.
- She has dreams about her past in the real world. She thinks it's her previous life as dryads believe in reincarnation.
Kingdom of Shadows (Season 3):
- TBC
Romance path
Season 1:
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Ep 3 · Ghosts of the Past and the Present
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Ep 4 · The Weekend
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Ep 6 · Hello, Mary
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Ep 9 · The Fair
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Ep 10 · City of Madmen
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Season 2:
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Ep 3 · First Changes
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Ep 4 · Mors Solum Initium Est
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Ep 5 · Coronation
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Ep 6 · The Last Day Off
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Ep 7 · Attack, Rescue, Destruction
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Ep 8 · The Savage Raid
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Ep 11 · Behind the Curtain
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Ep 12 · The Cold Night
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Season 3:
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Ep 1 · At the Threshold
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Ep 2 · The Journey Begins
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Ep 3 · Three Riddles
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Ep 4 · Different Paths, One Road
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Ep 5 · The Eternal Flower
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Ep 7 · The Heart
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Ep 9 · The Tarot Reader's Abode
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Ep 10 · Freedom
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Possible endings
⚠️SPOILER ALERT⚠️
In Season 3, Episode 10 there are six possible endings with Mary if he is your end-game love interest which are directly influenced by your choices throughout the book.
- Path of High Atonement ⛓️: The main character gets the "Nothingness" card and remembers the other realities. Selena thinks for a long time whether to enter Mary's life and stir up the past. She ends up deciding that she would try to tear down the wall she had built between them, even if Mary rejected her. Selena goes to Mary's office, where her secretary asks her to wait. When Selena was giving up, after half an hour of waiting, Mary finally decides to see her. Selena apologizes for having overworked her, even knowing about her mother's illness, and for being too hard on her and not valuing her. She confesses that while dying, she ended up falling in love with Mary. Selena asks if she has any feelings at all for her.
- Strong relationship: Mary asks if Selena realizes how pathetic she looks. She responds that there is nothing pathetic about asking for forgiveness or loving someone. Mary then realizes that Selena really has changed. Selena kisses Mary hand and asks for a chance. She feels the connection they shared in the other realities. (CG unlocked)
- Weak relationship: TBC
- Path of Low Atonement ⛓️ with enough Major Arcana 🎴 (second chance): If you choose that the main character deserves a second chance, she will be on an endless journey through the worlds, and you see a different scene depending on which path you are on.
- Path of High Priestess 🌙: The main character asks Mary to run away with her before the war in Valle Deliria, but she doesn't accept it. So, they face the war together.
- Path of Emperor 💀: The main character tells Mary in Totspel that she would never turn her back on her. So, she joins Mary, Liam, and Josephine in what she had started - they will imprison Rob in the painting together.
- Path of Low Atonement ⛓️ without enough Major Arcana 🎴 (or if you chose death): Depending on your path the main character will react differently to her fate.
- Path of High Priestess 🌙: The main character asks to take one last look at the real world. The Tarot Reader says yes but as a ghost. She sees Mary but cannot speak to her, just watches and be close one last time. When she arrives at the doors of the real other world she doesn't want to leave without Mary, so she stays in front of the doors to wait for her.
- Path of Emperor 💀: The main character kills the Tarot Reader, so she cannot see the real world one last time. But the player sees a scene of Mary sitting in her office, looking out at the view of the bridge she built, thinking about Selena like she often did, but this time it brought her deep pain. When Selena/Lilith arrives at the doors of the real other world she doesn't want to leave without Mary, so she stays in front of the doors to wait for her.
Note: If Mary is not your end-game love interest, the narrative says that the main character decided not to enter her life again after learning that Mary had a successful career.
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