Profile
Basic Information
Name: Parma
Birthplace: Unknown
Affiliation: Underground, PARMA, Black Water (possibly)
Gender: Male
Background
Parma was a mysterious and dangerous individual who has manipulated events in DisCity for decades. He was the leader of PARMA and also possibly Black Water, as well as the inventor of the Mania crystal. However, though he is the face of the organization to many in DisCity, he does not lead the Underground and is subordinate to the Underground Shepherd. Over the course of decades, Parma masterminded the downfall of Syndicate in order to create an environment where powerful Sinners could grow "worthy" of being used for his mysterious designs, and he regarded Zoya as the pinnacle of this effort. He also has been known to exploit Sinners to conduct experiments that extract human emotions into reality, such as in Dreamy Bubble, when he used Serpent to distill joy from negativity, and in Night of Wonder, when he used Enfer's artwork to spread fear.
The nature of Parma's existence is unknown. He did not seem to be human, as he frequently appears and disappears by growing out of or dissolving into black sludge. He was able to survive extreme physical damage, such as Zoya punching through his chest and Langley shooting him in the head, both of which destroy his body but cause no lasting harm. On the other hand, the fact that Parma waited to enter BR-001 until after the illusory realm, which rejects humans, has been dispelled, may indicate that he was somehow still considered human.
Parma also seems to have a history with Langley, likely from some involvement with BR-003, as Langley recognized and targeted him during the aftermath of the defeat of BR-001, and as such Parma was a known target for the 9th Agency. However, this recognition did not spread to the rest of the sub-Paradeisos level DisCity authorities, as Burns and the Public Security Bureau worked with Parma for over 10 years, believing him to be nothing more than an arms dealer with no ambitions except to make money.
Role
Main Story
◆ Unclaimed Crypt
While searching for the Inheritance, Horo overhears Parma plotting to use its power to destroy The Legion. In truth, he wanted to lure the other gangs of Syndicate with that promise, knowing that the Inheritance would consume them and, he hoped, Zoya as well, to create a Black Ring.
◆ Keylan Square
Parma appears at the negotiation site after Zoya forces the truth of the Public Security Bureau's conspiracy with him out of Burns. Zoya punches through his chest, which causes his body to dissolve into ink, but does not harm him. He leaves her with a black cube containing multiple sealed Inheritances, which explodes and penetrates her chest with black spikes.
Speaking to an unknown audience, Parma says that a "long-lost miracle" will soon happen and apologizes for keeping them waiting. He says that the shackles are probably a modified version of stolen technology and have disrupted their plan, but that they have allowed him to find "the best seeds". He reveals the reason that he has worked to keep Syndicate in chaos, as it nurtures powerful, passionate and fearless Sinners -- "who dare to oppose the gods, and are thus favored by them." When BR-004 descends, Parma, satisfied, saying that he should go before the 9th Agency arrives.
Inside the Black Ring, Parma witnesses Zoya's assimilation into a Corpseborne. When he appears, the Chief's Shackles activate automatically and pin them to the ground; Parma says that the Shackles are protecting them and warning them not to get too close or be a hindrance to him. He calls Zoya "the perfect fruit nurtured by Syndicate", a blend of perfect power and perfect obsession, and that she "deserves to be chosen."
◆ Carnival
Parma enters BR-001 after the Chief dispels its illusory world. He rescues the false Hamel from the Chief, then reveals that this Corpus came into the world without his knowledge and created BR-001 on its own without being nurtured by him. He asks the Chief what happened at the top of the Statue of Keylan and who destroyed BR-001. They fight, and when Parma is touched by the Shackles, he realizes the answers to his questions. He tells the Chief that they have earned their "eligibility" and that he will stop standing in their way, "maybe for a long time to come." Nevertheless, after the disappearance of the Black Ring, Parma considers his next actions, and wonders whether he should kill the Chief after all. His thoughts are interrupted when Langley shoots him from her helicopter, destroying his body. Still, Langley says that it would take more than that to kill him.
◆ Drifter Camp
Agent Rust says that Parma has been active in throwing out false leads all around DisCity, but has been tracked to Drifter Camp on the shore of DisSea. He appears once the Mania outbreak begins, and almost captures Che and K.K., but is pulled away at the last second by a call, vaguely but strongly implying that Bai Yi, who had been fleeing from him and/or his organization, had returned, and he disappears to go meet with her.
◆ Oblivion Depth
Parma is believed to be active in Eastside due to a string of Mania crises in the district over the past months. As a result, the FAC is deployed away from Syndicate. At the end of the Ten Days of Rustfire, he returns to Syndicate, seemingly acting as an escort for the Underground Shepherd while she provides a Crystal Flower to Julien.
◆ Towering Black
Parma bypasses the FAC's Blockade and infiltrates BR-002. There, he begins to dump contamination into the Black Ring, strengthening its Corpus to tip the balance in its mental struggle against Julien's consciousness and the Shackles' restraints. When an FAC squad enters the Black Ring to find him, Donald is able to convey Parma's position to Langley so that she can destroy him again with her ability by firing a shot from outside the Ring. Having weakened himself by injecting so much of his essence into the Ring, Langley's shot is enough to deal Parma a fatal blow.
As Parma slowly dies, he witnesses BR-002's and expansion over all of Syndicate, the culmination of his decades of work. He states that despite all he has done, the Underground's sorcery has never been the source of Black Rings: they are nurtured only by the passions of the human heart, and are powerful because they refuse to be silenced. Parma expresses his satisfaction at having fulfilled his duties and played his role in a foreordained path, before Langley fires several more times and finally destroys him.
Even after Parma's consciousness disappeared, his body remains a weapon for Mania; when Bai Yi confronts the Underground Shepherd inside BR-002, the Shepherd animates Parma's remains to deal with her. It is stated that this is "just as the initial contract stipulated."
Events
◆ Night of Wonder
Two months before the Witching Hour exhibit at Belphegor Art Museum, Parma sends Enfer a mysterious piece of stone as a gift, which she described as "unmarked, flawless, too perfect to be of this world." Claiming to be an anonymous supporter, Parma asked her to carve a piece from that stone and present it during Witching Hour. The sculpture that she produced was Sosia.