Samaritan

Overview

Group/Faction Affiliation: The Staroye Overlook

Status: Deceased

Famous for his white hard hat, Samaritan was the founder and leader of the collective known as the Overlook, a community camp held in Staroye by farmers. Though he was well-loved and respected, people knew little of the true meaning behind his motto: ‘Growth is hope’. By cultivating crops and handing supplies to the helpless, his plan was to grow a community for the betterment of humankind in the apocalypse. In order to achieve his dream, Samaritan made true neutrality the Overlook’s daily struggle and that’s what ultimately led to his death at the hands of the group known as Dark as Midnight.

Appearance

The Samaritan commonly wore civilian clothing, and most notably a white hard hat which he was never seen without.

Origins

Samaritan never was a man of many words. Being a rather private person, he never talked about his previous life. All that is known is that his real name was Sam, and that he chose his moniker as a reference to the Parable of the Good Samaritan. In the story, a jewish traveler becomes injured and is left to die several times. Despite the fact that the jews and the Samaritans did not like each other at the time of the story, a Samaritan was the only passerby to actually help the traveler instead of leaving him behind.

Demeanor

The Samaritan was always a very calming figure. His laidback attitude and soothing voice matched the man he strived to be, and he was always being very kind and charitable; never hesitating to provide survivors with food or aid. Despite his will to assist strangers and his beliefs that everyone deserved help, he was not a trusting person, and was always ready to reach for his holster to do what was necessary for everyone’s security.

Actions

Samaritan began as a simple man wanting to do good. He fell in love with the view when he first saw the barn on the hill, south of Staroye, for the first time. He hoped that choosing that place would bring people to him, given that Staroye was at a crossroads that many people passed through on their adventures inland. His guess was correct, and the barn quickly became a popular destination for weary travelers and those in need. Weeks and months went by, and a steady stream of people would come to the newly named “Overlook”. There he founded a community camp where neutrality was the number one rule, and people from all over were welcome so long as none of them broke the Staroye Neutral Zones rules. Navigating through neutrality never was easy, but with the help of Overlook providers like Tom and Sara, Samaritan made it work.

As relations grew and conflicts arose, The Overlook’s neutrality couldn't be observed at all times, and in 2020 a hostile war began involving their neighbors; a group known as the Fireflies. Samaritan made the choice to help the Fireflies in their war against Torchwood and the Rangers. Although his actions are only known to a select few, others suspect his involvement in the conflict - but none can prove anything to this day. After the war however, rumors began circulating that were initiated by enemies of the Overlook; claiming that they were colluding with nefarious groups such as Dark as Midnight and the Carnival. Eventually, the Samaritan took a back seat to leave room for the future leadership of the Overlook. However the group would quickly become involved in many conflicts and its position quickly became impossible to maintain without his guidance and diplomatic knowledge. As such, Samaritan took it upon himself to repair some of his providers' mistakes and get the group back on track, a decision which ultimately led to his death.

Death

Samaritan's demise was an act of selflessness, and a story of betrayal. An alliance was being formed to fight against Dark as Midnight, involving the Fireflies and the Wanderers. After being asked to help the alliance, Samaritan agreed to do so; having grown tired of Dark as Midnight's constant marauding and violent behavior in the Southeast. After agreeing to help the Fireflies and Wanderers, the Samaritan visited a neighboring group to his east, a collective of potheads known as the People of Tulga.

The Samaritan arrived, explained the alliance’s plan to fight Dark as Midnight, and asked the Tulgans to help. The Samaritan however, was unaware that the denizens of Tulga held a strong disdain for the Fireflies and the Wanderers, having been at odds with both groups for several months. The Samaritan left Tulga believing they would consider helping, but in reality he was about to be betrayed. Davee’d, the founder of Tulga, took the information directly to Gorka, the hometown of Dark as Midnight, to warn them of the impending attack.

When confronted with the truth by Dark as Midnight, the Samaritan admitted his plans in an act of defiance, making it clear he was working alone. This separated his actions from the providers of the Overlook and protected them from also being killed. As he was gunned down in Gorka, his last words were: "I hope..."

Notable Relationships

Not much is known of the exact relationships of the Samaritan. As neutrality was important to him, he kept most of his acquaintances secret, but some of his relationships were nonetheless well-known.

Damien White & Cain The Messiah - Damien and his successor Cain, both leaders of Torchwood at different times, were the archenemies of the Samaritan. The two at multiple times antagonized the Overlook, and caused trouble when there. Samaritan held such a dislike for Torchwood that he helped the Fireflies fight them in 2020 despite his neutral policy.

Dark As Midnight - It is also known that he kept a polite relationship with Dark as Midnight, up until just before his death by their hands in Gorka. The Overlook was a place often visited by the cannibal group, and controversies would arise because of Samaritan's relationship with them. When Dark as Midnight would commit acts of violence around the Overlook, notably the death of Kaylee, the Overlook would remain neutral regardless.