The Last of Us season two, episode three not only saw Ellie and Dina head off on their quest to avenge Joel's death (still not over it btw), but also introduced us to a new cult in the apocalyptic world — The Seraphites.
The group aren't named in the third episode, however, thanks to the game of the same name the HBO series is based on, we do know a lot about this mysterious group, and spoiler alert! They're not as peaceful as they seem.
In the third episode we see the group walking through the forest on their way to Seattle. In one scene we see a man explaining to a young girl at the front of the group about their prophet, who has been dead for the last decade. He doesn't give much away but it's enough of an indication to suggest they're a religious based group. He doesn't have enough time to carry on explaining as the group are signaled by a whistle that they're under attack.
Later on in the episode we see Ellie and Dina discover their now dead bodies, presumably having been attacked by Abby and her friends. But, if you recall in episode two, Abby explained the WLF don't just kill innocent people for no reason...
So why did they kill the Seraphites? Here's what you need to know about religious group.
Who are The Seraphites in The Last Of Us?
The Seraphites are a religious cult formed in a region of Seattle. They began because a mysterious woman, who is now dead, had a vision that suggested the Cordyceps infection, which caused the pandemic, was divine intervention.
She and her followers believe the infection was a punishment for humanity's sins and was brought in for humans to give themselves a second chance. As part of their practice, they don't use any technology that was created before the pandemic occurred, believing it to be part of "the old world".
The group are known for being particularly brutal and have their own way of identifying certain aspect of the world of The Last Of Us. The WLF are known as "Wolves," infected as "Demons," and trespassers as "Stragglers."
What is their battle with the WLF?
Back in the days directly after the pandemic broke out, FEDRA (the government agency) was overthrown by the WLF in Seattle and they overtook command of the city.
The Seraphites initially tried to live in peace with the WLF in Seattle, however, tensions escalated and the groups began to war over territory. At one point the WLF also captured of the Prophet and she was later executed by them.
Her death of course led to more anger on the part of The Seraphites who upheld her beliefs and continued to launch assaults on the WLF.
What is the mark on the faces of The Seraphites?
In the episode you may have noticed the majority of the group, including the children, had a scar running along one side of their face.
In the real world this is known as a 'Glasgow Smile', and in the show and game, it's thought the markings are a similar scar, which also leads to the group's nickname in the game The Scars.
