The Distillery

Lore & Background

The Distillery represents the dark underbelly of Dunwall's economy, a place where the Pendleton family amassed wealth by exploiting laborers during the height of the Rat Plague. The facility is infamous for its harsh treatment of workers, who were often forced to drink their own product or face violence from the overseers. As the plague swept through Lowtown, the Distillery became a fortress of sorts, with the Pendletons hoarding resources while the city crumbled around them. The presence of supernatural elements, such as the Rat Plague's mutated creatures and the influence of the Outsider, further twisted the facility into a nightmare landscape where reality bends under pressure.

In Their Own Story

The air inside the Distillery is thick with the cloying scent of fermented grain and decay, a fog that clings to the skin like a second layer. Corvo Attano moves silently through the shadows, his boots making no sound on the slick, oil-stained floorboards. Above him, the great copper vats loom like sleeping giants, their surfaces tarnished by years of neglect. A distant scream echoes from the lower levels, quickly silenced by the wet crunch of something unnatural. He knows that time is running out; the Pendletons have barricaded themselves in the upper offices, and the rats are growing bolder with every passing hour.

Reader's Guide

The Distillery is a multi-level industrial complex characterized by towering brick structures, massive copper fermentation tanks, and narrow catwalks suspended over deep pits. The architecture reflects late Victorian industrial design but is heavily weathered by Dunwall's perpetual rain and the corrosive effects of the plague. Upon entering, visitors encounter the main production floor, a chaotic maze of pipes, valves, and leaking vats that create hazardous terrain. This area is often infested with rats and plagued by toxic fumes. The upper levels house administrative offices and storage rooms, which are more secure but still vulnerable to breaches from below. In later timelines or alternate realities, the Distillery may appear even more dilapidated, with collapsed walkways and overgrown vegetation reclaiming the ruins. Key landmarks include the Pendleton family office, the main distillation chamber, and the secret passages used by assassins to bypass security.

Did You Know?

• The Distillery was originally built by the Pendleton family before being seized during the political upheaval following Empress Jessamine's assassination.
• It serves as a primary location for both Daud's and Corvo Attano's respective missions in their games, highlighting its strategic importance.
• The facility is notorious for housing mutated rats and other plague-related horrors that pose significant threats to intruders.
• Despite its grim reputation, the Distillery remains one of the few places in Lowtown where alcohol production continues uninterrupted during the Rat Plague.