Rell

“You're not supposed to be in here! You're going to ruin the surprise!”

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Characters Tenno

Quotes

For the webcomic, see Rell (Webcomic).

Rell was a  Tenno lost to history, whose teaching and research of the Void lead to the founding of the  Red Veil Syndicate. The circumstances of his history and sacrifice are revealed in the Chains of Harrow quest.

Lore & History[]

General[]

Rell was one of a number of children aboard the Zariman Ten Zero during the ill-fated voyage that created the Tenno. Unlike the other children, Rell found it difficult to identify emotions and would be overwhelmed by too much sensation. His mother Kay, another passenger aboard the Zariman, loved him dearly and worked patiently with him to manage his difficulties through a variety of tools, including a deck of cards with various faces drawn on them to help Rell identify emotions or a humming, tuning-fork-like device called a "Donda" to help Rell focus his thoughts and deal with the sensations of sound, color, and touch which sometimes overwhelmed him. Kay was also unfortunately forced to defend Rell from the other children aboard the Zariman, some of whom mocked his afflictions.

During the incident that created the Tenno, Kay fell to the same mind-warping affliction as the rest of the adults on the ship. In her waning lucidity, she instructed Rell to wait with the other children "while the ship was fixed." However, as shown in his mini-comic, during the Zariman's drift through the Void, Rell was left out of the main group of Tenno and forced to fend for himself.

The Void-Jump Incident[]

Main article: Rell (Webcomic)

On at least one occasion, he was attacked by a "hunting party" of the adult crew and had to use his newfound Void abilities to protect himself. One of the adults who attempted to harm him was the now-maddened Kay. Rell stopped her with a Void Beam, possibly killing her, and simply stated that Kay was no longer his mother, that she was something else now - although what that was he hadn't figured out yet.

After Kay's attack, a Tenno girl attempted to bring Rell to one of the children's safe-points only for a larger boy to physically force him out again, deeming Rell's "weirdness" to be a risk to the rest of the group.

Rell decided the group would have too much noise anyway; he would need his focus as he "had something to do, someone to figure out." By the end of the Zariman's voyage, Rell became convinced that the Void itself was an amoral alien entity that existed before time.

Rell's Sacrifice[]

Main article: Chains of Harrow

After the Orokin recovered the derelict Zariman and retrieved the Tenno children, Rell was yet again "cast out" from the rest of the Tenno, possibly due to the Orokin deeming Rell unfit for the combat duties they forced upon the other Tenno.

Rell was eventually taken in by the precursors of the Red Veil. They studied his teachings about the dangers of the Void, eventually coming to call the Void entity he perceived as "The Indifference" or "The Lidless Eye". However, Rell preferred to call it "The Man in the Wall".

Denied access to Margulis' cryosleep and the Dream that preserved the other Tenno, Rell eventually and willingly sacrificed himself in a ritual the Veil believed would seal The Indifference out of the mortal plane. Rell's mind was bound to his Warframe,  Harrow, which was then chained in the Red Veil's sacred temple in an Orokin Derelict.

Due to his prolonged life, Rell's mind became splintered and separated from his vessel. While the Tenno try to recover the fragments of his mind, Rell repeatedly mentions that The Man in the Wall is listening to the  Tenno and grows stronger from that. Lotus and Ordis, however, explains it away as Void induced delusions and loss of control over Transference. Eventually Palladino, Speaker of The Veil, asks Tenno to destroy the vessel, thus freeing the weakened Rell, so he would be able to "rest", and placing the burden of holding off The Indifference on all remaining Tenno.

Notes[]

• Although Rell's condition is never specified in-game, Rebecca Ford has suggested that Rell is autistic^[1], Steve Sinclair has stated that Rell has Asperger's syndrome^[2]; a part of the Autism spectrum, with Rell displaying nearly all traits including a lack of emotional understanding and recognition, difficulty communicating, repetitive behavior, and agitation with high levels of sensory stimulation.
  • Interestingly, according to Albrecht Entrati's notes, it was noted that The Indifference seemed to be the most interested with unique individuals. Rell, presumably being the only survivor Tenno in a spectrum of autism, fits the "unique" category and may have been why The Man in the Wall reached out to Rell after the protagonist Operator.
• As is common with autistic people, Rell is also shown to have specialties. In an earlier memory flashback where he's working on identifying emotions with his mother Kay and the picture cards, he briefly mentions advanced scientific principles related to spaceflight speeds that his mother can't keep up with. Not only that, throughout the Chains of Harrow quest he shows profoundly advanced Transference skills such as being able to control multiple dead bodies simultaneously. His science and logic-based autism, and centuries of practice, have given him a profoundly deep knowledge of Transference and the Void which is why he alone was initially able to recognize The Man in the Wall for what it is, instead of induced delusions like the Lotus or Ordis believe.

Trivia[]

• Rell is the first-named Operator and the first Tenno NPC introduced in the game.
  • He is associated with a particular Warframe,  Harrow.
  • As an outcast, forgotten by Tenno and Lotus, it is not known how he gains his personal Warframe.
• Rell is voiced by Emma Martello, who also voices Master Teasonai and Cephalon Cy.
• If one aims at Rell, his name will appear above him, and he can be scanned.
• Approaching Cephalon Melica during Zariman Ten Zero missions will sometimes cause her to ask the player the whereabouts of their classmates, one of which includes Rell amongst other names seen during The New War quest.

References[]

CollapseCharacters Edit

Main Factions Syndicates Mentioned Only  Tenno Baro Ki'Teer • Berryn • Excalibur Umbra • Haigos • Jenva • Kahl-175 • Lotus • Mathon • Operator (Drifter) • Rell • Terolee • Teshin Dax • Varzia Cephalon Apnar • Cy • Drusus • Jordas • Loid • Melica • Ordis • Otak • Suda • Sark • Simaris • Vull  Grineer Captain Vor • Councilor Vay Hek • Garv • General Sargas Ruk • Grineer Queens • Kela De Thaym • Kahl-175 • Kuva Lich • Lieutenant Lech Kril • Sprag • The Grustrag Three • Tyl Regor • Ven'kra Tel • Wolf of Saturn Six  Corpus Alad V • Exploiter Orb • Frohd Bek • Latrox Une • Nef Anyo • Parvos Granum • Profit-Taker Orb • Sisters of Parvos • The Sergeant • Vala Glarios • Veso • Xeto  Infested Fass • Helminth • Technocyte Coda • Vome • Zealoid Prelate  Orokin Albrecht Entrati • Ballas • Isaah • Margulis • Nihil • Silvana  Sentient Erra • Hunhow • Natah • Praghasa  Murmur The Man in the Wall  Stalker Angst • Malice • Mania • Misery • Stalker (Shadow Stalker) • Torment • Violence  Narmer Ballas • Erra (Pazuul) • Archon Amar • Archon Boreal • Archon Nira • Ka-Nuteru Duviri Acrithis • Barris • Brimon • Bombastine • Dominus Thrax • Drifter • Koral • Luscinia • Lodun • Mathila • Pip • Sythel • Teshin • The Warden • The Vagabond 1999 Amir • Aoi • Arthur • Eleanor • Lettie • Quincy Neutral Clem • Darvo • Maroo • Neewa • Nora Night • The Unum