Adam Randall

Adam Randall
Portrayed by	David Tuomi
Voiced by	() Hans Martini () Emmanuel Bonami () Alberto Janelli () Tomás Rubio
Family Members	Charles RandallAdam's mother

Adam Randall is the main protagonist in Realms of the Haunting. Persistent nightmares preceded by the death of his father and a visit from a dubious priest named Elias Camber lead Adam to a gloomy Cornish mansion where he is involuntarily sucked into a conflict of epic proportions - the battle between Good and Evil.

Biography

Adam appears to originally hail from Canada, the Canadian roots presumably lying on his mother's side, if we take into consideration his conversation with Rebecca on their family backgrounds. Judging by the developer's choice of a British actor for Adam's father, namely Gerry Hinks from Staffordshire, Charles Randall presumably originated from Cornwall or more generally speaking from the United Kingdom.

Considering that Adam's father was a devout and dedicated churchman, Adam was probably exposed to the stories of the Bible at an early age, as is revealed during his discussion with Rebecca about the broken Seals:

“

Adam: Fallen angels. Sounds dubious. As a child I remember Dad telling me the story of Lucifer being cast out of heaven. Theologically speaking, I always felt Lucifer was misunderstood. Rebecca: Adam!

”

Adam's parents separated when he was very young. Towards Rebecca he discloses, during their mutual introduction, that his father had grown to neglect his family in favour of the parish at St. Michael's where he served as a parson. His mother had returned to Canada back then.

Four years prior to present in-game time, Adam participated in a student exchange to Great Britain, where he met his father again, apparently having changed noticeably during their lack of contact and communication. Six months prior to the beginning of the game, Charles died and Adam was approached by a priest named Elias Camber, an alleged acquaintance of his father, who pretends to have entertained a sporadic correspondence with Charles. They met in Adam's London apartment where Elias handed over a parcel containing several broken shards with curious seals. Drawn by the nightmarish visions of a house, Adam took a cab to the outskirts of Cornish village Helston and set foot into the mansion of his dreams, hereby embarking upon his journey through the Realms of the Haunting.

As demonstrated by his discovery of the Colt-45 and the Shotgun, Adam appears to have a certain knowledge about mundane weapons.

Marks

A pivotal point happening in the early part of the game is sitting on the Bone Throne in the Mausoleum and receiving the marks. As Adam puts his hands on the skulls which are affixed to the armrests, a symbol similar to the Shrive gets burned into the flesh of his palms. While this procedure is painful and exhausting, the marks enable Adam to touch the Shrive, a most powerful object whose possession is granted him shortly afterwards.

The entrance to the room where the throne is situated is guarded by a wall of shimmering light, suggesting that access is only granted to chosen ones. On Florentine's map of the Mausoleum this room is indeed marked but there is no indication whatsoever on what to find inside. Apart from that, both Florentine and Belial chase Adam throughout the game in order to steal the Shrive. During our first encounter with Belial, he is seen in a doctor's attire, putting on skin gloves which he has actually obtained from a person who had these marks.

Name

Etymology & Theological Context

Adam is a male given name of Hebrew origin (Hebrew אדם Adam). Its earliest known use as a genuine name in historicity is Adamu, as recorded in the Assyrian King List. Its use as a common word in the Hebrew language is ׳āḏām, meaning "human". In the Book of Genesis, the Hebrew word ׳āḏām is often rendered "mankind" in the most generic sense, implying that Adam was the ancestor of all men. According to the Abrahamic religions, Adam was the first human, his female counterpart being Eve.

The Hebrew word אדמה (adamah), from which the name of Adam apparently derives, can be translated as "red ground" or "red clay". A recurring literary motif that occurs in the Book of Genesis 1–8, is the bond between Adam and the earth, that s the "adamah". Adam is made from the earth, and it is from this "adamah" that Adam gets his name. God's cursing of Adam also results in the ground being cursed, causing him to have to labour for food,[3:17] and Adam returns to the earth from which he was taken.[3:19] This "earthly" aspect is a component of Adam's identity, and Adam's curse of estrangement from the earth seems to render humankind's divided identity of being earthly yet separated from nature.[8:21]

The Wheel of Time

On another note, GOG Forum user Lafazar suggested that Adam's surname, Randall, could be a subtle allusion to the main character Rand al'Thor in the Wheel of Time series of books by Robert Jordan, which also contains some further intriguing similarities such as the Great Seals (the Seven Seals, the Machin Shin (the Ire) and the Ways (the Tower). Similar to Adam, Rand's palms have brands in the shape of a heron, marking him as a Dragon Reborn.

Script

Discussing Adam's Brands

“

Adam: Look at my hands. The marks look like burns, but they don't hurt. I can't understand. Rebecca: Adam there is a power connected to the brands and that odd device you found in the Mausoleum. The Shrive.

”

References