Chelonia
Led by Anders Helgerson
Chelonia has 2 named members and no territory the wiki records.
- Leaders
- Anders Helgerson
- Status
- Active (1907)
- Territory
- Not stated
- Affiliations
- Not stated
Player notes
Chelonia is a religious cult founded in the late eighteenth century and led by Anders Helgerson by 1899. Its headquarters are in Boston, but it gains followers in northern New Hanover, where its recruitment of young able men makes it unwelcome among local people. The Chelonians promise a protected utopian society called Chelonia and demand that followers give themselves wholly to the faith. They revere turtles as sacred animals, wear turtle-marked robes and turtle-shaped satchels, and gather into a "shell of safety" when threatened.
Arthur Morgan first encounters the cult after Mary Linton asks him to find her brother Jamie Gillis at a farm near Valentine. Jamie has joined the Chelonians, and Mary hopes Arthur can persuade him to return. Arthur rides to their mountaintop camp near Cumberland Forest, where the Chelonian Master and the other followers close around Jamie and insist that he has chosen their path. Arthur gets to speak with Jamie, then forces the issue when Jamie refuses to leave. Jamie escapes on horseback, but Arthur catches up after Jamie is left on foot beyond the railroad tracks and stops him from shooting himself. Arthur brings Jamie back to Mary.
Anders Helgerson can also be found in Saint Denis, distributing Chelonian pamphlets and preaching to passers-by. In 1907, John Marston can return to the same hilltop near Cumberland Forest and find the cult preparing an initiation under a new Chelonian Master. The gathered Chelonians chant as the Master calls on the initiates to follow him on a journey to Chelonia. He then leaps from the cliff, and the followers jump after him.
Trivia
- โThe Chelonians' act of binding together to form a "shell of safety" is likely inspired by the Testudo formation used by the Roman Army. In addition to them having the same structure and general purpose, "Testudo" in Latin translates to "Tortoise", which is itself a type of turtle โ the animal considered sacred by the cult.
- โThe word "Chelonia" is the other name of the taxonomic order Testudines, which encompasses all 14 families of 356 known species of extant turtles.
- โThe player can find dead Chelonians dressed as Jesuits in camp at Cholla Springs; on their tunics dominate a light blue color, similar to the Epsilon Program Robes.
- โIn "Polite Society, Valentine Style", the player can encounter a man affiliated with the cult and is seen praying at the Saints Hotel. This NPC is wearing a baby blue shirt, the color worn by Epsilon members.
- โWhen encountering the Chelonian rite during the Epilogue, if the player chooses to follow the members of the cult on their "journey" by jumping off the same cliff, John will enthusiastically cry out "Chelonia!" in the same manner as the members that jumped before him . Nothing unique follows this, as the player simply falls to their death and respawns as usual. John's dialogue can also be triggered by walking very close to the edge of the cliff, without needing to jump.
- โThe player can encounter a friendly camper who mentions that he used to be a follower of Chelonia. He mentions that he almost followed them off a cliff which foreshadows the fate of Anders and the Chelonian Master.
Named members
2The members with pages of their own are linked. The rest are named by the wiki but have no article to point at.
Jamie Gillis (formerly)
Last verified September 14, 2026