Mibu Village: The Lore is a Lore page for Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. Since the game is not specific in its storytelling, lore entries on this wiki should be considered as speculative and non-cannon, as all conclusions are drawn by users from implications of in-game text.
The Village:
- Basket Wearer Shosuke tells Sekiro that everyone has gone insane and that he too was nearly counted among them but for the fact he vomited. He claims that head priest sometimes treat the villagers to sake. The sake was said to have made you thirstier once you started to drink and would eventually lead to all of the available sake being consumed; forcing people to drink the water in the lake and surrounding streams. It would seem that the leech/slugs which live at the bottom of the lake have some kind of magical effect on the villagers turning them into somewhat zombified hosts that have the ability to respawn or re-emerge from the ground once killed.
- Hunter Inuhiko was said to have locked themselves in their hut, at the opposite side of the river to Shosuke, and burned pine resin which was bothersome to the villagers which were under the effects of the infected water. This meant that the head priest did not given him any sake and was presumably spared the same fate as his townland peers. All that remains of the Inuhiko when you explore his home is the ember used to upgrade the flame vent.
- The head priest is said to be located in the temple at the source of the river and told the villagers that they should "become citizens of the palace" by drinking the sake. Shosuke doesn't understand what that is supposed to mean and presumably neither did any of the other villagers.
Tangent: (any information that jumps out to me but is probably not relevant, just chasing leads)
The punishment of Tantalus in Greek mythology bears some resemblance to the blight of the villagers. Tantalus was made to stand under a great tree with low hanging fruit that would sway just out of reach every time he would try to reach for one and was surrounded by the waters of a lake that flowed away from him if he tried to reach for it. Imprisoned in Tartarus for all eternity for stealing ambrosia from Olympus and sharing it with mortals while also revealing the secrets of the Gods, earning the wrath of Zeus, and the aforementioned punishment.
Tantalus also offered his son Pelops up as a sacrifice to the God and literally cooked him for them to eat. They were so horrified Zeus ordered the youth brought back to life, mostly, as Demeter accidentally ate part of the dead boy's shoulder - luckily Hephaestus made a new one made of ivory!
Story & Lore
- The villagers were fooled by the Mist Noble, an opponent of Buddha who created an illusion. The villagers endure eternal thirst and loath fire. This hatred of fire is characteristic of the Undead of Dark Souls [1]. The villagers cannot die and shall forever resurrect from the muddy soil. The slug fish and green lanterns are reminiscent of The Fishing Hamlet
. The many hanging corpses in the Hidden Forest are likely sacrifices and vital for establishing the illusion. Villagers carry with them a lot of oil, which also derives from The Fishing Hamlet. "Mibu" means "aquatic life" or "life born of the water".
Basket Weaver Shosuke
Hunter Inuhiko
The Head Priest
The Questions To Answer:
(1) Where do the waters that infected the villagers flow to
(2) Ashina Crows
(3) Leeches/Fish at the bottom of the lake and on the blood soaked rags
(4) Ministry agent investigating the waters when you get to Mibu Village
(5) Worshiped the snake
(6) Did Inuhiko escape?
(7) Were villagers from Mibu abducted my Senpou monks?
The Villagers:
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The villagers that have containers on their back are seen throughout the village. They are the only mob that is able to burrow out from under the traps and snare Sekiro in place allowing surrounding villagers to attack freely. A large number of these villagers are seen around the cherry blossom tree as they are all under the trap stones. |
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These villagers are scattered through the village and would appear to be mostly look-outs. There is one located behind the cherry blossom tree that throws orbs they collect from the ground - being hit by one induces terror buildup and a single hit can fill the bar 50-70% depending. When you enter the village there is a Pacifying Agent on the ground and this is probably the reason why. |
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This villager type is rarer in that they are hidden in places Sekiro is likely to walk past without noticing and thus enabling them to carry out a stealth attack. This is normally a jump followed by rapid stabbing to the heart in the attack connects. These villagers do not respawn when killed and are not seen carrying out the takes similar to the other villagers which suggests they are either in a higher social order or were originally charged with defending the village. But, their lack of professionally crafted weapons make the latter unlikely as their implements appear to be standard gutting knives which are commonplace in fishing villages. |
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He protecc |
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One of the few villagers that has their eyes intact and does not have a shambling nature but a purposeful one. Suggesting that this villager has not lost their consciousness entirely. They don't seem to have a reason for this as they are seen frequently throughout the village - unless they are the wives of the shambling villagers that died in the lake and partially decayed. |
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This is a villager that has been digging in the ground but has no yet engaged their battle stance which results in a hand-rake being used as a weapon. |
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These villagers are frequent users of strong lunge attacks and are generally slow to attack preferring to compliment the other villagers with spear-like engagement. |
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It is interesting to note that the larger mobs do not come back out of the ground once you have killed them like the other villagers. Possibly suggesting a intellectual component to achieving the ability to die and comeback in Mibu Village. |
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Found in farm to the North-West of the village. Hammering and flattening the Earth. These larger type villagers are seen throughout Sekiro's world but always as repetitive workers, aimless wanderers, or fighters with strength buy diminished mental capacity. |
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If you have progressed the game far enough - you will spawn the Ashina Crows once you kill a number of villagers in the farm. The appearance of the Ashina Crows indicate that there was a presence at some point in this area. Possibly sent to investigate what was going on or why the villagers were no longer in contact with Ashina Castle. Considering their location and being told that vengeful spirits roam the land after dark - it seems probable that the Mibu villagers attached and killed the Ashina Crows; burying them in their fields. |
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What first might appear to be fish are actually leeches which are found in huge numbers at the bottom of the lake in Mibu Village. This could possibly be a byproduct of the quest to replicate The Dragon's Blood.
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The houses in Mibu Village all have a shred of snake skin on their roofs. This suggests that these are the valley floor locals that consider the great serpent a God. |
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When one of the villagers are killed it is in these locations they will burrow back out of the ground. Curiously there are cherry blossom petals at each of these locations but they are found in places where the tree is not. Also noteworthy is when Sekiro is brought back to life he leaves cherry blossom petals behind him. |
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The cherry blossom tree around which stand a lot of villagers that tunnel back out of the ground once you have killed them. It seems to happen three-times for the villagers around the tree but only twice elsewhere. Also the fungal growth around the base of the tree is seen also on some of the villagers. |
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These formations are markers for burrowed villagers that will try to pull you under while holding you in place - this allows surrounding villagers to attack you. |
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This is the threshold of Mibu Village. It is decorated with snake skin and an illuminated stone held in the centre of a wreath. |
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Note the bloody handprints. |
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Are these moths? |
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Shine with the leeches as an offering as well as a Balloon of Soul item. |
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AnonymousInteresting parallels between serpent worship and poison/insaniy.
The Contact Medicine says that 'poison is said to expand the mind'
Water seems to flow from Sunken valley/poison pools to Mibu village and Ashina reservoir?
Is the divine palace like a dream of the insane, traumatised Mibu villagers?
- Anonymous
Going to be a slow burner - but I'll work on this and the Senpou Temple threads.
He do indeed protecc
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