Silantius

"So let your hands slay the enemy servants, with no rest or mercy!"

- Silantius to his cult.

Silantius (Russian: Силантий) is the primary antagonist of the Volga chapter in Metro Exodus. He is the leader of the Church of the Water Tsar. The character model of Silantius might be based on the Russian right-wing, anti-modernist thinker Aleksandr Dugin.

Overview
Silantius is the leader of a crazed techno-phobic cult, near the Volga river, who blames the downfall of civilization on technology. Under the influence of Silantius' sinister charisma, these fanatics have started worshiping a great and powerful beast that lurks beneath the water. He doesn't appear to believe his own faith, but said that it was the best for the people to be ignorant.

History
According to a few recordings Artyom may find around the bridge over the Volga, Silantius was a member of an unnamed political party before the war, and might have also been incarcerated in a mental asylum for his beliefs.

An audio log located in a safehouse, close to the terminal where Artyom travels to retrieve Krest's railcar, reveals that Silantius went around claiming that he knew how to stop the anomalies that were hurting people using "charms", which in reality were lightning rods that destroyed the anomalies. Claiming that the only way to stop further "attacks" from anomalies was to get people to stop using electrical technology, he eventually amassed followers, as they didn't know what Silantius' charms really were. The man who records the log says that Silantius is not dumb, for knowing how to manipulate people in such a manner.

When Katya's group arrived from the Urals, Silantius trapped them there and ordered the "purification" (destruction) of their car train, before later sending various members to their death indirectly. The last one, Katya's husband, appears to have been sent to his death deliberately because Silantius wanted to forcibly marry her. Katya and her daughter refused to follow Silantius' faith, but he didn't exile them, keeping them as prisoners of the church instead.

There is also hearsay that Silantius' relationship with the Tsar Fish is more than what it first seems. The Train Depot utilizes an intricate system of feeding corpses to the Fish, and if eavesdropping on the bandits, they will talk about rumors of a man feeding people of prominence, such as the mayor and officials, in the area to a monster, speculating that it's Silantius. Furthermore, they say he frequently (albeit secretly) goes to the terminal to feed the Fish, likely to give it a taste for human flesh and consolidate the residents fear of it, and himself.

Metro Exodus
Silantius is first seen giving a sermon as Artyom arrives at the church on a rowboat. He and his followers attempt to trap Artyom, but he escapes. Later, when Artyom and Duke infiltrate the bridge so they can lower it, they find Silantius in the main control room. His attitude towards them depends on whether or not Artyom gathered enough moral points. If Artyom avoided unnecessary killing, Silantius will tell his followers to hold their fire, but if Artyom was merciless, he will raise the alarm and yell for his followers to open fire, until he is knocked out by Duke. This results in Duke getting shot, and Artyom being forced to leave him behind.

Gallery
Силантий