"The lesson will be taught in due time, Aloy. Until then, we wait." This article contains heavy spoilers. Read ahead with caution.
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- "You are addressing the cousin of the Emperor of the Quen, heir to the vast holdings of the Great Delta, the first Ceo in five generations!"
- ―Bohai[1]
The Ceo is a character and later a minor antagonist in Horizon Forbidden West. He is a relative of the Quen tribe's Emperor and the leader of the expedition to the Old Ones city of San Francisco.
History[]
Like many of the Quen's imperials, the Ceo hoped to gain favor with the Empire by uncovering data from the Old Ones to help their ailing tribe, sponsoring many Diviners to search the Legacy for anything that might help them, as well as himself. He was particularly interested in data related to Ted Faro, the greatest Ancestor to the Quen. When the Diviners discovered that Faro spend a lot of time in San Francisco, the Ceo convinced the Emperor that an expedition to the city might help them solve their most pressing problems. Successfully convinced, the Emperor dedicated all the tribe's resources into making this a reality, declaring his relative the title of Ceo, the living embodiment of Ted Faro,[2] the first Ceo in five generations.[3] The Ceo's efforts were promising to the Quen, giving them hope for the future.[2]
After seven years of preparing the flotilla,[3] the Ceo, along with several other Quen, left the Quen homeland to cross the Great Ocean to San Francisco. While many ships and crew were lost, the Ceo was among those able to reach San Francisco. However, the difficulties faced and lack of progress gave the Ceo less hope for success, and when Thebes was found, the Ceo became obsessed with the bunker and what lay behind its gene locked door. As his mental health deteriorated, the Ceo became convinced that his title was more than a mere honorific, believing himself to actually be Ted Faro renewed. While his peers could tell his sanity was questionable, the Ceo was quick to have anyone who spoke out about him killed.[2]
A revelation came with Aloy, the clone of Elisabet Sobeck, who the Quen saw as the reincarnation of the Assistant to the Ancestor Ted Faro. After helping Alva uncover a massive collection of agricultural data, the "Ancestor Reborn" ventured to the Isle of Spires to ask Alva for help finding Thebes, needing Ted Faro's Omega Clearance to help capture HEPHAESTUS. The Ceo and the expedition's Overseer Bohai met her at Legacy's Landfall, directing her to the digsite and warning of an Apex Thunderjaw prowling the area.[1]
The Ceo, accompanied by Bohai, made their way to the digsite once Aloy had dealt with the machine. As they descended underground to the gene locked door to Thebes, the Ceo was angered that Aloy was initially unable to open the door, turning his anger towards Bohai, who had assured him that a Aloy, with Sobeck's essence, could open the door. Fortunately, Alva intervened and reasoned that Aloy could use the flooded passageways to find an alternate entrance. The Ceo allowed Aloy to do as she needed to get the door open, while he prepared to enter.[1]
Once Aloy managed to get inside and opened the door to Thebes from the inside, the Ceo revealed himself, dressed in a Quen recreation of Ted Faro's attire, and he forced Aloy to wear a raiment mimicking Elisabet Sobeck's clothing, threatening Alva's life when she refused. She reluctantly agreed, and they all entered the bunker. The Ceo's delusion and egomania continued to show itself as the expedition descended, being all but certain that he would find the secrets that would save his tribe. As they reached the main hall where a massive statue of Faro stood, the Ceo took note of what appeared to be statues, which soon came to life. The Ceo retreated with Bohai, leaving Aloy and Alva to fend for themselves. Once the Corruptors were destroyed, the Ceo returned, while Bohai returned to the surface.[1]
In the next chamber, the Ceo spotted a reclining throne attached to an apparatus. Though Alva couldn't read the data in the room due to her obsolete Focus, he pressed Aloy for answers. Upon being told that Faro had undergone life extension treatments, the Ceo dismissed the possibility that he could still be alive, as his essence wouldn't have been passed onto him. Yet, he claimed that Faro would've sought immortality for the Quen and most importantly, his true heir, the Ceo himself. Aloy then sarcastically remarked that the Ceo did indeed have much in common with Faro, which he took as her seeing his beliefs as truth.[1]
In the next room, the expedition's progress was blocked by a locked door. As the Quen soldiers tried to force it open, Aloy found another way through the vents. By the time the Ceo forced his way in, Aloy claimed that the secrets he was looking for weren't present. Subsequently ignoring her warnings not to go into the generator room, the Ceo entered, only to find a grotesque mutated abomination, which even he recognized as all that remained of Ted Faro. Disgusted by what he saw (and wary that Faro's continued existence showed his delusions to be incorrect), the Ceo ordered Faro incinerated. Aloy warned the Ceo that this was a catastrophic error, as killing Faro would trigger Thebes to self-destruct, but the Ceo angrily replied by ordering his bodyguards to kill Aloy and Alva to remove any witnesses to his crime. As the bunker collapsed in a flood of molten rock, the Ceo tried to escape by climbing the statue of Faro, only to fall off and be crushed by the falling head of the statue, destroyed by the thing he idolized.[1]
Legacy[]
The Ceo's death came to great relief for the expedition, who no longer had to bow to the whims of a madman. Bohai was quick to reject Alva's decidedly political answer regarding the Ceo's fate, far more convinced by Aloy's account that the Ceo "died like a gutless coward".[3]
Personality[]
- "The Ceo was an entitled egotist who twisted our beliefs into a sickening, self-serving fantasy."
- ―Bohai
The Ceo is arrogant, haughty, and pious: he genuinely believed himself to be the incarnation of Ted Faro, obsessed with his legacy and claiming to hold his "essence".
Based on Alva's account, the Ceo's mental state had declined over the expedition: as most of the expedition had initially faith he could save them and the tribe,[2] although it is implied his motivations were less than altruistic.
Trivia[]
- While the Ceo is related to the the Emperor of the Quen, conflicting accounts of his exact relation are given: Bohai claims the Ceo is the cousin of the Emperor,[3] while Alva claims he is actually the Emperor's nephew.[2]
- The Ceo's title seems to be a misunderstanding of the Old World term of CEO (Chief Executive Officer), the highest rank in a corporation, with the pronunciation being "see-oh" rather "see-ee-oh".
Gallery[]
References[]
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Quen | |||
---|---|---|---|
Imperials | Ceo - Emperor of the Quen | ||
Diviners | Overseers | Bohai | |
Diviners | Alva - Enki - Federa - Nirik - Vai | ||
Other tribe members | Alanda - Areus - Artor - Atrund - Aunia - Aunia - Borge - Brenik - Cai - Elika - Fedder - Gerrit - Harriem - Helayna - Jeel - Jomar - Kari - Kelva - Khita - Kina - Kiral - Kristia - Lan - Laures - Leena - Malva - Meandra - Nikeri - Oris - Otosu - Peera - Pirik - Rheng - Rokomo - Seyka - Sonkai - Sunore - Theoa - Ulrey - Valea - Veter - Zeth |