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Prime universe
(Capcom's primary storyline)
Los Iluminados

Los Iluminados' insignia.

Los Iluminados (IPA: /los ilumiˈnados/, trans. "The Enlightened Ones") are a religious group native to Valdelobos. Traditions place them as the continuation of an ancient primal religion and was likely related to a civilization that once thrived in the caverns beneath Salazar Castle, though no proven lineage has been found. Los Iluminados beliefs are syncretic in nature, drawing heavily from Roman Catholicism but incorporating human sacrificial ceremonies. The core value of Los Iluminados is the belief in Plaga as a holy creature given to humanity by God, and parasitization of members is a traditional requirement for initiation.

Once a large community in Valdelobos, Los Iluminados saw repeated state-sanctioned inquisitions which reduced survivors to living in exile. Mass conversions took place in the 1990s under Prophet Osmund Saddler but have since been largely eradicated due to their ties to paramilitary violence in the region. Following a 2004 American-led operation to rescue Ashley Graham, Valdelobos has been sealed by the Spanish government, and surviving Los Iluminados members continued on in exile once more.

History[]

Precursors[]

Game 2014-08-04 21-09-11-859

Evidence of Los Iluminados' progenitor could be found in a cave.

Early archaeological evidence suggests Plaga worship has been practiced around Valdelobos thousands of years ago, with cave art depicting a human sacrifice, and accounts suggest this ancient heritage.[1][excerpt 1] The ruins of a large city have also been found in the caverns beneath Salazar Castle, suggesting a further connection.

Fall into exile[]

Accounts differ as to the timing, though each agree that Los Iluminados was worshipped by many openly in Valdelobos until a series of government-sanctioned massacres were undertaken by Gregorio Salazar, 1st Count of Valdelobos to restore Catholic primacy in the region. In some accounts Los Iluminados existed in the region prior to Reconquista and suffered persecution from the late 15th century. Other accounts, however, place Los Iluminados as emerging post-Reconquista and being destroyed in the 18th century.[note 1] Assuming the latter, it emerged as a heretical Christian sect by 1554, as dated by an inscription from Prophet Adam Saddler,[2] and was destroyed in 1741 during the time of Prophet Hester Saddler.[3] The Salazar family committed themselves for centuries in preventing a re-emergence, while the descendants of Adam Saddler vowed to succeed.[1][4]

Revival[]

In the 1990s, Los Iluminados saw a revival under the leadership of Prophet Osmund Saddler. Saddler changed the practices of Los Iluminados, seeking to use technology as a means of proselytism. Taking the guise of a healer, Saddler was able to make his way into Valdelobos on the offer of treating the infirm Ramón Salazar, 8th Count of Valdelobos. In exchange, Salazar grew up to idolize him and converted. In doing so, he ordered that the caverns beneath the castle be opened to allow Saddler access to the Plaga remains, whose DNA could be used for a cloning project.[5][6]

When Salazar released the seal to the underground ruins, the Plagas were found to have died long ago. However, in their desiccated remains lay spores which were still alive. These were confirmed to exist sometime later when several miners fell sick sometime after excavation began and were in a state of regenerating new, complete bodies. Using these Plagas, Saddler perfected the ability to reproduce the organism and took to implanting Plaga eggs into new hosts.[7]

The cult's followers were soon implanted with Plagas along with much of the local population who had joined the cult. Saddler himself was implanted with a Dominant species Plaga, and as such, had direct control over the others, using lieutenants with similarly augmented Plagas to monitor and direct the Ganados on the ground.

The villagers then returned to living as normally as they could, farming, attending cult services at the local church, acting as guards for Salazar's castle or working the mines while the cult zealots engaged in dark rituals and sacrifices in the name of Saddler by kidnapping people passing by the region and killing them. The animals from the farms also started becoming weaker and desiccated due to the decrease in the villagers' intelligence and hygiene causing them to be unable to properly care for them.[8]

The plan[]

Sometime before Autumn 2004, American agent Jack Krauser, while secretly working for Albert Wesker, arrived at the village in search of the parasite. He was later used to kidnap Ashley Graham, daughter of U.S. President Graham, as part of an Iluminados plot to do no less than take over the entire world by infecting Ashley and returning her to her father with the aim of influencing the United States' executive branch. Saddler noted, however, that in order to take over the US, the parasites would need to spread to those with influence over the President's decisions - Congress, the Department of Justice, military government agencies and large private companies.[9][10]

Plan B was to use Saddler's paramilitary to infiltrate the United States and sow discord from within, likely gaining converts to Los Iluminados as they went. Ada Wong, an agent for an unnamed organization and subordinate to Wesker, destabilized "Plan B" when she sank the militia's warship docked within the island.[11] Following Saddler's death at the hands of Leon Scott Kennedy, the infected Ganados on the island started dying from the parasites inside of them due to Saddler's master Plaga being killed and were all killed when the island was destroyed.[8]

Alliance with Glenn Arias[]

The remnants of the Los Iluminados remained active in Spain for years following the 2004 raid, although they were greatly hindered by the death of Saddler and the condemnation of the wider world. The Spanish government enacted heavy sanctions, sending in a squad to exterminate those who were determined to have been carrying the parasite and imposed a quarantine against the Iluminados homestead due to the threat posed by wild Plaga, which continued to infect many of those who returned home.[12]

While many of the Iluminados continued to live in relative peace under lockdown, being self-reliant and seldom disturbed by outsiders,[13] a small devout sect chose instead to seek revenge against Kennedy and the United States government. Patricio, who had spent several years living in the United States as a mole for American intelligence organizations (such as the Division of Security Operations), was contacted by The Family in 2014. Having been under heavy scrutiny and investigation by Kennedy in the fallout of the 2012-2013 Global Bioterrorist Attacks, The Family provided Patricio and the Iluminados enough information to stage a bioterror attack in Washington, D.C. during the investigation of Maryland senator Steven Air, leading to the death of an entire metropolitan S.W.A.T team and three government employees in a car bombing.[14]

Not long after, the Iluminados sect allied themselves with arms dealer Glenn Arias, assisting him by providing specimens of Plaga for use in development of the A-Virus which he planned to use in a bioterror attack on New York City. Fearing for the safety of his wife and daughter, Patricio tracked down Kennedy to a hotel for help. Patricio was shot in an attack on the hotel by one of Arias' agents, Diego Gómez, and died before he could give sufficient information. Arias' attack was successful, though the surviving victims were cured when a vaccine was procured and distributed by Chris Redfield and Rebecca Chambers.[15]

Cultural practices[]

StoneOfSacrifice

Human sacrifice was commonplace for the ancient cult, and was continued under Saddler's leadership.

Followers of Los Iluminados regularly congregated in dedicated places of worship. Several are known to have existed in the area. In the village, an existing chapel was converted for rituals, and the ringing of its bells was a symbolic call to worship. A cave on the other side of the quarry was also used for the purpose of human sacrifice.

The cult also operated a monastic order, based within Salazar Castle. Monks, dubbed "Cultists", were clothed in black, purple and red robes identifying rank, with some wearing metal masks, or masks made from goat skulls. Among these Ganados, ritualistic tattooing was common, though their heads were normally concealed. The monks are known to have been all bald and pale-skinned, but how much of it is due to the parasites is uncertain. These monks also held their own rituals and would pray before a blood-stained knife with the cultic symbol decorated on the hilt.

Militant organisation[]

Los Iluminados controlled a dedicated paramilitary group, known merely as "combatants". These individuals were stationed on the island and served as a stronger layer of protection for the group's bioweapons research. The militant group was crippled by the actions of Ada Wong and Leon S. Kennedy.

Gallery[]

Bibliography[]

Sources[]

notes
  1. Resident Evil 4 (2005) originally intended Los Iluminados to be overthrown in the 15th century, with concept art for Salazar's family crest being dated to that time and files mentioning the "Mediaeval" origins of del Lago. Another deleted file would have confirmed Los Iluminados' survival, using the underground caverns beneath the lake for their meetings. However, the retail version gives no concrete date, but suggests the 18th century with enemy fashions. The 2023 remake takes the latter approach.
excerpts
  1. Excerpt from biohazard4 kaitaishinsho revised edition, page 014:
    "アシュリーが監禁れていたヨーロッパのとある村にて、 古くから活動してきた独自の宗教団体——それがロス・イルミナドス教団である。「教え導く者たち」の名を取る同教団は、 古来、 特殊な方法を用いることにより、 信者を増やしてきたが、 信心以前に教祖が信者を身も心も完全に支配する……という特異性ゆえか、 初代領主から激しい弾圧を受けて衰退。しかし、 現領主ラモンが信徒となり全面的に協力をはじめてからは、 教団の力は村全体に広まり、 いまや村人全員が信徒となった。現教祖サドラーは全世界にその力を浸透させんとの危険思想を抱いており、 アシュリー誘拐事件への関与もおおいに疑われる。"
references
  1. 1.0 1.1 Hamamura (ed). Kaitaishinsho. p.14.
  2. Resident Evil 4 (2023), file: "Provenance Monolith".
  3. Resident Evil 4 (2023), file: "Eroded Cave Epitaph".
  4. Resident Evil 4 (2023), file: "Cliffside Epitaph".
  5. Resident Evil 4 (2023), file: "Ramón's Confession".
  6. Resident Evil 4 (2005), file: "Castellan Memo".
  7. Resident Evil 4 (2005), file: "Luis' Memo 2".
  8. 8.0 8.1 Resident Evil 4 (2023 game)
  9. Resident Evil 4 (2005), file: "Our Mission".
  10. Hamamura (ed.),kaitaishinsho, p.449.
  11. Resident Evil 4 (2005), level: "Chapter 3: Retrieve The Sample".
  12. Umbrella Corps, Village Where it All Started
  13. Umbrella Corps, The Experiment
  14. BIOHAZARD VENDETTA (novel); Fukami Makoto
  15. Resident Evil: Vendetta
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