#and if we later learned it was canon via supplementary materials (should we ever get more story stuff for this universe)

[2hoothoots]

I’m probably off base here, but the implication I got from the game was that Gristol WAS the Delugionists. As in, he alone was it in the entirety, the only one funding it, and the Psychonauts just assumed it was multiple people.

There’s probably something in the game that contradicts that but that was my first impression

see, i like that interpretation a lot, but i don't know if it lines up with what we see in game. when we're first introduced to the Delugionists in the cutscene after Loboto's mind, Sasha has these lines:

[transcript: "She was a monster - a ruthless, power-hungry psychic who drowned hundreds of her own countrymen. Nevertheless, she still has her loyal followers to this day. This file documents recent activity believed to be the work of these modern day "Deluginaries".]

(side note, is it Delugionists or Deluginaries? the game can't seem to make up its mind.)

to me this implies that a) there have been small cells of pro-Maligula supporters for a long time, and they've long been a thorn in the Psychonauts' side; and b), they're very widespread. it's not a great screenshot, but there are five locations on that map, spread all over the world.

i dunno - i guess it's possible, but i look at how the Psychonauts are apparently tracking multiple global cells of Delugionists (i don't have screens/transcripts to hand, but some of the idle dialogue in the Nerve Center has the agents discussing the different groups they're monitoring)... and then i look at Gristol. i'm gonna be honest, the impression that i get from him is that he couldn't mastermind his way out of a paper bag :P his plan is laughably terrible, and from figments and the absolute mess his suite in the casino was in it seems like he spends most of his free time lazing around and eating caviar.

i don't think there's anything in the game that directly contradicts it, but i don't know if there's any direct support for it, either. i can definitely imagine Gristol meeting up with other Delugionists, maybe even wielding a sizeable influence with them due to his status, but he doesn't seem like the kind of guy to be able to orchestrate a one-man show like that is the vibe i get. (it probably also depends on how much faith you put in the Psychonauts' intel capabilities, too! it feels like the game wants you to think they're a cool and competent spy organisation, but then it keeps portraying them as just absolutely useless and incompetent as soon as you start looking any deeper, and i've never been able to work out whether that's on purpose or not.)