The Yam Cult

The Mystery House

"If the doors of perception were cleansed, we could see everything as it is. Infinite."

— Random Wastrel in the Garden District

The Yam Cult is a religious cult that exists in the Garden District, on Lud's Holm in We Happy Few.

It's encountered by Arthur in Act I and can also be found in Survival Mode. The cult resides at the Gardner House and Wednesday's Hill, but members of the cult can also be encountered elsewhere.

Related Quests

• Hallucinogenic Salad
• I Yam What I Yam
• Millihelen
• Mystery House

Overview

In Act I, the Yam Cult is led by Erasmus Wycliffe, who can be found on Wednesday's Hill in Lud's Holm.

It's a monotheistic cult (the belief in one God) that worships a paranormal entity called "The Holy Yam". The Holy Yam is a floating, glowing Yam that is only visible to those who are in a chemically altered state, and bestows blessings upon those it considered worthy.

The Holy Yam

The Yam Cult's beliefs are also somewhat of a mix between shamanism and animism, as members of the cult regularly consume Histoplasma Mushrooms to interact with what they perceive to be a spirit world beyond our own.

History

After the events of World War II and The Very Bad Thing, the Garden District suffered with a great famine, with many Wastrels teetering on the brink of starvation, desperately trying to get their hands on any food still present in the region.

Given the sheer lack of food, many Wastrels found themselves forced to eat Histoplasma Mushrooms to avoid starvation. These mushrooms, while edible, are also highly psychoactive and causes different effects on its consumer; Some go completely insane, while others get a simple high. The psychoactive properties of the mushrooms is probably what started the formation of the cult.

The Yam Cult began to worship a paranormal entity known as "The Holy Yam". The followers and their leader, would regularly gather on Wednesday's Hill to practice a ceremony, during which the Holy Yam would give blessings to those who had proven themselves worthy. The Yam Cult is also known for practicing human sacrifice to some extent, this can be seen in Act II when the player has to visit Wednesday's Hill to save Edmund MacMillan from the cultists who are attempting to sacrifice him in order to obtain Phytosteroid.

The Yam Cult is not completely alone however, as another cult known as the Space God People also exist in Lud's Holm. When Sally succeeds at rescuing the followers of the Space God People from an attempted mass suicide, they leave the cult and their leader, Ransom McKenzie, behind. With the Space God People disbanding, the Yam Cult swiftly takes over the Gardner House for themselves, and is therefore the only cult left in Lud's Holm at the end of Act II.

Trivia

• In Survival Mode, the player can encounter the Yam Cult in multiple locations:
  • Firstly, the player can encounter the building from Hallucinogenic Salad, but this time it's guarded by several Headboys with a single cultist on the top floor and the interior is markedly different:
    • The bottom and top floors contain what appears to be a makeshift laboratory, with several unusable chemistry sets and a large kitchen sink, as well as lots of Histoplasma Mushrooms, Hallucinogen, Phytosteroid and other chemicals strewn around in addition to Empty Syringes, Glass Bottles, and Scotch.
    • This suggests that the cult may be trying to manufacture chemicals from the mushrooms (like Hallucinogen) with the Scotch suggesting that they are trying to brew Strange Alcohol which is also made from Histoplasma Mushrooms.
  • Secondly, the cultists can also be encountered at the Wedding Party Stones where they are guarding a large chest similar to the one encountered in the side quests, Mysterious Chest and Hope Chest.
  • Thirdly, the player can encounter the Holy Yam as an Easter egg inside a hidden secret room in the Hamlyn"O"Courant newspaper office. Interacting with it will send the player to a hidden room containing two White Bobbies. Defeating them will allow the player to pick up the Holy Yam and carry it as an item. The Holy Yam will increase the chance of finding a Yam when looting a container.