Planescape: Torment

Lore & Background

The Nameless One is an immortal being cursed to rise from death with no memory of his past lives, each death leaving a scar on his soul. He awakens in the Mortuary of Sigil, a city at the center of the multiverse where portals connect to all planes of existence. His journey takes him through bizarre locales such as the Brothel for Slaking Intellectual Lusts, the Clerk's Ward, and the Hive, meeting factions like the Sensates, the Dustmen, and the Godsmen.

Central to the story is the question posed by the game's tagline: 'What can change the nature of a man?' This theme permeates every interaction, as The Nameless One seeks to undo the pact that made him immortal, confronting his past incarnations—some virtuous, others monstrous. The game's lore draws heavily from Planescape's philosophical bent, exploring concepts of belief, identity, and redemption across a richly detailed multiverse.

In Their Own Story

In the cold, stone-slabbed Mortuary of Sigil, a man opens his eyes to the rasping voice of a floating skull named Morte. He remembers nothing—not his name, not his purpose, only the tattoos etched into his flesh: a list of questions, and a single command: 'Find the one who can answer.' As he rises from the dead, the dust of countless lives clings to him. The city of Sigil hums with the whispers of gods and demons, and every alley holds a clue to a past he cannot recall. Somewhere, a woman named Deionarra waits in a tomb of memory, her ghost bound to a love that outlasted her death, and a being called the Transcendent One guards the truth of his curse. The journey begins with a single step into the Hive, where the poor and the mad know more about him than he does, and where a single wrong word can damn a soul or set it free.

Reader's Guide

The story of Planescape: Torment begins with The Nameless One awakening in the Mortuary, guided by Morte. He must navigate Sigil's factions and planes to uncover his past lives, each revealing fragments of his immortality. Key locations include the Brothel for Slaking Intellectual Lusts, where he meets the Sensate Annah; the Clerk's Ward, where he confronts the ghost of Deionarra; and the Fortress of Regrets, the final realm of his nemesis, the Transcendent One.

Throughout the campaign, The Nameless One gathers companions like the githzerai Dak'kon, the succubus Fall-From-Grace, and the mechanical Vhailor. His choices affect his alignment and the fates of those he meets. The climax reveals that his immortality came from a pact that split his mortality into a separate entity, the Transcendent One. To end the cycle, The Nameless One must either embrace his past sins, sacrifice himself, or find another resolution. The ending is determined by the player's actions, emphasizing themes of redemption, memory, and the nature of the self.

Did You Know?

• The game's script contains over 800,000 words, comparable to a multi-volume novel.
• The Nameless One is voiced by actor Michael T. Weiss, known for his role in the TV series 'The Pretender.'
• The floating skull companion Morte was originally conceived as a comic relief character but became central to the story's emotional core.
• Planescape: Torment was praised for its deep philosophical dialogue and is often cited as one of the greatest RPGs ever made.