Well Wishers
Overview
The Well Wishers were a cannibalistic group known for their [creepy, frightening, or at times, humorous interactions] with other survivors still left in Chernarus. Remembered for their signature steaks left at water wells, they brought a certain type of fear to the villages of Chernarus that left many watching over their shoulder with every drink they took.
Alignment
The Well Wishers identified themselves as neutral evil, valuing freedom and order to be used in gaining power over others. As cannibals, they recognize that their actions are viewed as evil by common minds and they are not afraid to tell it as it is. Though their intentions were initially pure, their hunt for a new civilization of strong and well-fed people would go on to devolve into a twisted game.x
Appearance
The Well Wishers were mostly rural people who wore ordinary clothing. Their signature look was a leather hat, for which they never revealed the source material - with many assuming that it was the skin of their victims.
Origins
Made up of former farm hands, butchers, and common townsfolk, The Well Wishers tried their best to continue to live off the land when the infection hit. After securing a secluded hillside, they established a small community for survivors. For years, they were able to sustain their community through the efforts of their farm, and livestock breeding. However, their fortunes would change in a flash. A dozen zombies followed a stray goose onto the quiet hillside and before the night was over, a score of men had fallen and the livestock were all scattered or killed. As hunger grew and supplies diminished, a plan to move was initiated. The Well Wishers travelled south to Guglovo only to find the city looted clean, and its occupants long-dead. The men and women could go no farther; this was the end of the line. A few died of exhaustion in their sleep, and many considered them fortunate. At sunrise, several men and women wasted no time, gnawing at the raw flesh off their fallen comrades like a dog on a bone. At first the sight was horrifying, but before long there was no other choice. In difficult times, hunger united those that would become Well Wishers.
Territory
The Well Wishers claimed no territory, and frequently travelled city to city - leaving steaks at wells for survivors to eat, or to rope unsuspecting people in as bait.
Goals
The goals of the Well Wishers were as follows:
- To convince a frail world to do what it takes to survive, and to have no shame.
- To do whatever it takes to ensure none of their own go hungry again.
- To unlock the secret to creating the best blood sauce in all of Chernarus.
Values
The Well Wishers acknowledged and respected moral strength. They understood the benefits of a good relationship when it presented itself, as long as it didn't even hint at compromising their goals or ideology. And finally, of course, they valued a plump living creature ready for the taking.
History
As a group of survivors, the Well Wishers were originally pushed to the brink and forced to eat human flesh to survive. Years after Day Zero, and after many meals consisting of all types of flesh, the group’s remnants had almost treated their cannibalism as a game of cat and mouse at the expense of other survivors. Maddie Adder, a local who may or may not have been experimented on by unethical scientists, was their leader and often spoke in rhymes or prose when talking with non-members. One of the leaders of the sacrificial Cult of Papa named Bog Petrov offered Maddie Adder “tea”, which he obsessed over and made all the other members of the Well Wishers consume. Whether he knew or not, he and the rest of the Well Wishers had informally become a tool for the Cult of Papa. Other groups would later take up the “tea” and indirectly (and sometimes directly) aid the Cult, such as the Gilligan Gang.
The group’s claim to infamy came in the form of gifts known as “well-wishes” that they left at drinking pumps throughout the area, but they were also known to leave report cards or threatening messages at community camps such as St. Finnigans (later called St. Joseph’s). Targets that were easily manipulated or in need of water were the most common victims - either they were victims of human steaks left at the wells, or victims themselves under the knives and saws of the Well Wishers. Maddie Adder used these interactions and conversations at wells and camps to spread the idea of the “Tea” to others, in the hopes that other survivors would have “tea parties” with him and eventually join forces with the Well Wishes or with the Cult. At times the group would also reinforce other factions, such as the reclusive Black Paw - although it is still entirely unknown what Maddie and others received out of such arrangements.
The Well Wishers were noted all over Chernarus for their creepy laughs, poems, and their willingness to consume other survivors. This notoriety, however, understandably brought to the group a variety of enemies and conflicts. Their main rival was the Brotherhood, who went on the offensive soon after their arrival in Chernarus in the hopes of ending the Well Wishers. One by one, it seemed that through the anti-cannibal efforts of groups like the Brotherhood and Chernarus Defense League, the Well Wisher’s time would come to an end. The dissolution of the faction came and went, but that did not stop what remained of the group from continuing their mission. Members such as Maddie continued to fight with the Cult of Papa until his death months after the fracture of the Well Wishers, and others like Erk resumed their reign of terror with chainsaw in hand.
Notable Members
Maddie Adder - a play on the title “Mad Hatter,” Maddie was the leader of the group and well-known throughout Chernarus for his antics and casual brutality. He is remembered for his song “Friar in the Fryer” mocking the death of St. Joseph’s founder, Friar Joseph.
Erk - Erk was a young member of the Well Wishers most famous for his friendly, unsuspecting nature and for being in love with his chainsaw.
Relationships
Cult of Papa - The Well Wishers saw the Cult as friends in that both enjoyed sacrificing survivors and occasionally partook in the consumption of said survivors. The Cult was also responsible for spreading the paranoia called “The Tea” that the Well Wishers whole-heartedly believed made them stronger.
The Well-Wisher’s enemies were numerous - but of those most interested in the elimination of the Well Wishers, the Brotherhood would be considered the most notable by far. The Well Wishers' existence as a collective was completely at odds with the Brotherhood and what they stood for, leading to an ideological schism that frequently devolved into violence.