The Three

The Three are the merchants that shows up at the Swamp hideout every morning in Chapter 2. They have the appearance of tall, robed figures wearing masks and covered in branches. The taller, central figure carries a sack which, as stated by the Protagonist, "reeks of mushrooms". The Three are never seen talking, with communication done via gestures or written letters (as experienced by the player).

They are a reliable source of resources, as their Reputation with the player increases by 250 every night survived successfully. If the player attempts to attack the Three, they will disappear (not dropping anything) and the time freeze will end. However, they will still return the next morning to barter for goods as usual.

The Three are the three eldest sons of the Thief (and the Elephant Mother) mentioned by Cripple (A Photo of Three Boys). This may be evidenced by a strange attachment, almost reverence, towards the Talking Tree, which might contain their father. It is also quite possible they miss their entire village. According to the Cripple, they visit the Tree regularly. They will additionally stop visiting the Protagonist if they burn the Tree down, and will spend the rest of their days mourning and despairing while standing in its ashes - whether the Tree is burnt or not, they wil choose to burn alongside it in the "Burn them all" ending.

When the village first began to starve, the Elephant Mother took her four youngest children and fled into the Swamp, leaving her three eldest sons behind with their father. The three sons began to succumb to malnutrition and became very sickly, and their father (the Thief) grew resentful of the other villagers, believing that they had "written his family off" and were not sharing food fairly. Desperate to feed his family, the Thief banded together with a number of other villagers who also felt the situation was unfair. Together they attempted to sneak into the basement where the village's food supplies were stored. They were discovered and there was a fight, the other thieves locked themselves within the basement with the food and barricaded the hatch so that no one could come in. The Thief was not so lucky, he was left outside and, as the sole individual the remaining villagers could take their anger out on, it is implied that they brutally killed him. Not satisfied with their revenge, the villagers then went to the house of the Thief, dragged out the three young boys and tossed them out of the village to starve. The villagers then defaced the houses of all the thieves, writing upon their floors (these houses, along with that of the Thief's, can be found by wandering the village).

Despite their starving state, the Three somehow survived. Adapting to the Swamp, they adorned themselves with rags, branches, and skulls, and began to walk with the Savages. They are even said to have been seen leading the Savages on occasion. Their muteness might be indicative of their own infection, but unlike the Savages they do not appear to have lost their mental faculties and continue to follow their own routine. At one point they attempted to visit their mother, but she did not recognise them (the Elephant mother talks about the three weird strangers) and they left the next morning.

Stock

Similar to most other vendors, items that can be sold to them are sold at half the buying price.

	Item	Buy	Stock
	Odd-Looking, Glowing Mushroom	50	1
	Gasoline	40-70	2
	Scrap Metal	10	3
	Nail	2	15
	Watch	300	1
	Board	6	15
	Wire	30	2
	Metal Pipe	60	1
	Flashlight	140-180	1
	Axe Blade	450	1
	Shovel Blade	450	1
	Rag	14	2
	9v Battery	50	1
	Matchstick	6	14
	Tape	40	2
	Weapon Parts	450	1
	Bolt Handle	450	1
	Handgun Frame	450	1
	Long Barrel	450	1
	Tubular Magazine	450	1
	Small Caliber Magazine	100	1
	Shotgun Shell	40	1
	Medium Caliber Bullet	40	1
	Red Egg	60	1
	Pill (Endurance)	60	1
	Pill (Healing)	80	1
	Gas Tank	50	1

Plot

The Three appear as vendors on the morning of the first day following the Protagonist's arival at the Swamp in Chapter 2, replacing the Trader from Chapter 1. They will appear every morning unless the Talking Tree is burnt, in which case they will stop appearing.

Epilogue

If the Talking Tree is burned down to escape the forest, the epilogue in the True Ending will state that the Three died in the forest fire while standing in the ashen remains of the Talking Tree. They will die hugging the Talking Tree during the True Ending if it the Talking Tree was not burnt down.

See Transcript

Dialogue

• First Encounter

The three visitors stare at me in silence, as if waiting for my move.

I can only hear the heavy breathing of the tallest figure, holding a giant bag.
As the tallest figure opens the bag, the room is filled with an intense smell of mushrooms.

...apparently they wish to give me something.

• On the other side of the Talking tree

The Three are staring at the tree. They pay no attention to me.

Trivia

• If the Talking Tree is burned, the Three will no longer appear.
• If the Talking Tree is spared, the three can be found on the other side of Tree.
• The Three are associated with cow bells. A cow bell and a mushroom can be found the other side of the second metal door when entering the tunnel to the Swamp from Chapter 1, and can also be found in a bag next to three open graves up near the Radio Tower. The link is not apparent but worth mentioning.
• A common theory is that the Three murdered the Trader before replacing him. This theory has no evidence other than it being circumstantial that they appear the same day his corpse does. Suggestions that they would write "Liar" on his helmet do not add up, as the Three were not the ones to write "Thieves" on their own floor or that of any of the other thieves that banded together with their father in the past. It is also extremely unlikely that they would have known the Trader (as his appearance in the forest was very recent), nor have any reason to dislike him. There is also no evidence of the Three being violent, they will not attack the Protagonist even if they are attacked themselves.
• It is unclear if the Three are naturally mute, or have become this way as a result of infection by the Plague.