A meta on how Marta feels about Knoth?
no but really it’s a very… gray area, very hot and cold. Knoth was the one to find Marta when she was still a youth in Albuquerque, working tirelessly to help pay off her family’s debt, and offer her the chance for a better life through enlightenment. rather selfishly, she followed him blindly, hoping to better herself in order to return and aid her family. however, the path of “righteousness” was a skewed and painful one. despite his proclamations against sins of the flesh, Knoth was insistent upon being intimate with her; even at such a young age, he forced himself on her night after night until it became enough of a ritual that she grew accustomed to it. it became her sacred duty to satisfy their Father, to allow him to free himself of the sins clouding his mind so that he could lead them more effectively and honestly. this continued well into her adulthood, and still does to this day. by now, she simply allows him to do as he pleases and distances herself from the situation entirely. she’s lost countless children throughout the years to various factors – malnutrition, her own poor health, even the hands of Knoth when he deemed it necessary – and the lives she created and subsequently lost weigh heavily on her conscience. the main factor and driving force in their relationship is the manipulation and insistence that she act as “judge, jury and executioner” to the citizens of Temple Gate, killing at his command with no mercy or remorse. she’s terribly unhappy with her job, and time after time, he’s witnessed her late at night, crying in a moment of weakness. he gives her constant reminders that she has to do as he says, that murder is less of a sin than sitting idly by while guilty parties roam free, that she can only achieve salvation by committing these atrocities. it’s one of many ways he keeps her on a leash, an obedient dog awaiting orders. in short, she both hates and adores him, following him without question because it’s what she’s been trained to do, and she’s done so many unspeakable things that she can’t possibly fathom turning her back on him or his teachings now. what God could love or forgive a woman that’s murdered so many people, that’s allowed her body to be desecrated the way she has? if she wanders from her faith, she’s lost in every sense of the word. any thoughts of straying or blasphemy are quickly subdued; his voice rings loud and clear in her head and often causes intense, almost blinding migraines. ( it’s actually a near-hallucinogenic effect caused by the broadcasts from the tower. ) she very rarely speaks for herself anymore. when she does, it’s only in very short, disjointed sentences to remind herself that she’s doing God’s work. that God loves her. that the blood on her hands will ultimately lead her to eternal salvation. it’s a shame she never gets there.
