Introduction To The Philosophy Of Nagel Und Hammer!
(Spoilers for Canto III of the game follow this, so read with caution!)
Nagel und Hammer is a subset of N Corp. dedicated to purging the world of heretics (aka, anyone who dares uses prosthetic body parts/non-flesh augmentations, or decides to stand by those who participate in such)!
The group is given jurisdiction by N Corp.'s dealings with K Corp. as of Canto III to engage in murdering and/or digging up graves of those with prosthetic parts to make a show to the public. This process is well-organized within the group, involving ceremonious enactment of rituals, careful planning of target locations, capture of important buildings, and setting fire to nailed bodies for purification.
The understanding is that K Corp. allows N Corp.'s inquisitors to breach District 11 because K Corp. works off of healing technologies, which would be rendered useless if the prosthetic body revolution continued to saturate society.
Purity of the flesh (as in, the more flesh, the better) is held with much higher regard than any other virtue, and every other worldly moral is seen as insignificant compared to the greater concept of the organization. Fealty to the One Who Grips is considered even higher, as the position is frankly religious in the embodiment of Nagel und Hammer's cause.
A cherished view for any confused is that the more pain one can feel, the more human they are! Likewise, this mantra is drilled into the heads of every existing member, both with practical excursions, helping with chores past the breaking point, and reading the scriptures of purity over, and over, and over...
Logo of Nagel und Hammer seen on The One Who Grips.
Pyramid Scheme (aka Hierarchy)
Nails
These are the leaders, seen in a religious light by the group, who are able to enact orders and decide the path the group takes, as a dictator would.
One Who Grips: The main title of importance that Kromer brandishes in Canto III, and who Faust embodies in her One Who Grips Identity. The way the leader is chosen is vague but seems to be a mixture of background, complete aligning with the emotional search for fleshly purity, and perhaps also the visions and understanding of the future paths that are granted through contact with technologies from N Corp.'s Singularity (the same power that runs the Mirror that Yi Sang brought to Limbus Company).
In a vision of Kromer's, she speaks of a universe where Sinclair joins her as a Nail, although his exact title has yet to be confirmed by the game. The main understanding is that he would hold the same authority as the One Who Grips.
One Who Grips Kromer, showing all the confidence of a Nail.
Hammers
These are the members who have been integrated into the group of inquisitors, each faction of them designating their loyalty and dedication to the cause, as well as how useful they are to the Nails. The dedication of a Hammer can usually be determined by the increased number and placement of wax seals on their armor and bodies.
Großhammer: (translated Big Hammer) the most distinguished and trusted of all the Hammers, acting as second-in-command to the Nails. Anyone in this position will have access to almost anything they need in order to fulfill their Nail's wishes, and both Großhammer we know of so far use tubes underneath their masks.
Großhammer Guido, holding a Nail, with his mask covering the tubes underneath.
Mittelhammer: (translated Middle Hammer) a more devout and highly worked-for position that takes the approval of a Nail in order for promotion. It is likely that they are in charge of squadrons of Kleinhammer, of course under the orders of the higher-ups. Members that reach this rank find it from merit, not time spent or battles won. This is largely explored in Mittelhammer Rodion's Identity, where it's explained how she ends up leading the charge to kill the heretics of her hometown of her own volition, showing the extent of how her mind had warped in favor of Nagel und Hammer's agenda.
A decked out Mittelhammer, showing their extensive collection of wax seals.
Kleinhammer: (translated Small Hammer) all the members who have not risen in ranks. They are overworked and not allowed to sleep for long periods of time, instead subjected to mental taxation and constant feedings of canned experience and Nagel und Hammer's religious doctrine. Some members stay here because of reluctance to fully commit, or they simply do not last long enough to rise in the ranks. A case study is Kleinhammer Heathcliff, who shows the steps of his daily life as a Kleinhammer from wake to bed in his voicelines, complaining about the constant readings, emotional backlash, and shifting sense of purpose as he is constantly exhausted to the point of breaking.
An exhausted Kleinhammer Heathcliff as he sharpens nails, his lack of seals showing his struggles to fit into the group.
Prominent Technology
Nails
The nails Nagel und Hammer use for impaling heretics often contain syringes inside that, when entering into the brain of humans, can extract experiences and energies from them that would otherwise be their only remaining value to N Corp. These nails can range from being the size of a sword to towering, and some are used purely for the purpose of keeping bodies above the ground, where they can never again return to rest.
It is commonly believed that Nagel und Hammer will go so far as to unearth dead bodies for the purpose of purification, digging up graves long after people have been buried. This is seen in Canto III when Kromer chooses to spite Sinclair, but it is possibly a rare practice, granted they were killed and still buried in the past until just as Sinclair arrives.
Canned Experience
The necessity of this canned experience may also tie to why Nagel und Hammer's brainwashing tactics both involve the usage of this experience in Hammers and why the head is simply not replaceable when it comes to flesh to metal transformations.
It is understood that Nagel und Hammer still receive supplies from both N Corp. and K Corp. in order to function, receiving a mix that is white in color inside of cans to act as food for the Hammers. Healing products are provided by K Corp. and border crossings that are unhindered may be a source of that pass of product, if another source is not later revealed.
There are some Hammers who are still skeptical about the food, as it is said to be strange and not very appetizing, but eating it has great psychological effects that seem to increase with prolonged dosages. These effects may lead to significant lapses in personality, emotion, and judgment of the outside world and the consumer's worldview.
It is likely that the Großhammer Guido (and the identity N Corp. Meursault) continuously consume canned experience in a type of green mixture, possibly infused with K Corp.'s healing technologies beneath their masks.
K Corp. Healing Serum
Borrowing from K Corp., Nagel und Hammer is able to heal incredibly fast when given room to recover, and although they do not use healing bullets or anything of the sort as openly and actively as the K Corp. border guards, Nagel und Hammer's physical strength, brutality, tankiness, and ultimate healing are able to overwhelm most forces that stand up against them.
Großhammer Meursault's Identity, featuring his ribbon-wrapped nail and the tubes underneath his mask.
Inside The Dungeons... Or Sinclair Houseparty, Whichever Fits
Although the goal of Nagel und Hammer is to jump between Nests, clearing out prosthetic users, deep inside of District 11, in a certain comfy cottage, lies a world only seen after the distant collapse of Lobotomy Corporation.
The Lobotomy branch underneath Sinclair's house was dug out into a full-functioning base by Nagel und Hammer, with the primary goal of reaching the Golden Bough for reaching ultimate power and fleshly purity. This purity would eventually transform the body of the Nail in question, but before that, many horrors lurked within the torture chambers.
Prison cells are near the entrance of the tunnels, with some live specimens of prosthetic users -- as the understanding goes, at least the brain is intact, still human, but the rest had been made filthy, no matter how little their changes were. Inquisitors will torture these captives, used for both training the minds of their members and also for experimentation/educational purposes. It's also understood that the One Who Grips possesses a sick sadism for these acts, although she looks down upon the mere existence of the not-fully-fleshed.
Deeper and deeper, the remains of the abnormalities Lobotomy Corp. took advantage of become more apparent, as well as the many experiments that Nagel und Hammer conducted on their members. As long as they were flesh, it didn't matter how human they were, so long as they could fight for their cause. These are supposedly voluntary transformations from the inquisitors themselves, who wanted nothing more than to give their everything to their new lives.
Even deeper into the facility, which is largely unrecognizable, more bodies begin to be piled as the results of abnormalities tearing into the unlucky, as well as the result of experiments, and a reflection of the minds within. Sinclair's subconsciousness combined with Kromer's form the appearance of the final floor seen in Canto III's finale, but it's possible that even without the Bough, the number of bodies left there would still be sickeningly staggering.
Wriggling Beast, a product of voluntary experimentation, also an inquisitor under E.G.O. Corrosion. Probably jamming to Mili, but also probably attempting to bite some heretics before their arm falls off.
Featured Corrosions (and Best Waifu Catbus)
Some of the most notable transformations, and some battle strategies, are as follows:
Slithering Inquisitor
TETH-class corrosion of 0-02-11-10, these inquisitors boast animal-like behavior and have two arms with snake heads that seem to have minds of their own. Although most inquisitors are weak to Blunt damage, this inquisitor-amalgamation is best countered with Pierce damage, especially if there are big damage-dealers of that type. It is noted that the arms may grow back if staggered unevenly for too long a time. The destruction of heads will lead to poison on the whole team, which will greatly stack the turn that both arms are destroyed, but with managed counters and strong pointed attacks, they will go down without too much resistance.
Everything There of an Inquisitor
Corroded with the E.G.O. of the abnormality Nothing There, also known as the bane of new player's existences, they possess a rare and unseen skill for auto-battlers that equates to Counter. They also have a strong Instinct ability and healing attacks, so that players must deal some damage to them every turn or else they'll heal a considerable amount by the start of the next turn. A good strategy seems to be to use Envy attacks and clash all skills during the turn they are not countering, and on the countering turn, either use a high-clash counter dealer to return the first hit, or use a skill like Chains of Others to bind them and tank the damage.
And no matter what Heathcliff might say, they are pure, unadulterated flesh and bone, not clay fruitcakes.
Kromer the Dreamer of Human Wholeness (aka best worm)
After listening to her wonderful cadence and realizing Limbus Company is made primarily of fools who do not know what to expect at the end of a hours-long dungeon march, a HE-rank Kromer faces Sinclair with so much elation that she probably doesn't realize she doesn't need to grip that hard in order to win. Alas, it's probably figured out by now that she also defends against Blunt and Lust damage, and will expect all-out clashes in order to best her. As long as each clash is won, she will not destroy those opposing her, and once her arm/majestic fleshy wing is staggered, there is the ability to attack her maw, where her innermost vulnerabilities are outstretched.
She just wants love... and pain, and love, after all! How cruel to mark this her end...
Source: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2964666919
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