Columbia Storyline

The Columbia Storyline the different events surrounding the creation of Columbia to its demise and later fate.

1890-1893: Creation of Columbia
Zachary Comstock was formally known as Booker DeWitt in his life. But after the events of Wounded Knee, Booker attended a baptism by Preacher Witting to erase his horrific memories and sins at Wounded Knee. He emerged a new man, named Zachary Hale Comstock, and had a newfound faith in Christianity. Sometime later, after Comstock became a farmer, he was believed to have been visited by the archangel, Columbia, who showed him a vision of a city in the sky. Zachary said she told him it was his duty to uphold the values of this great city. Comstock became a part of the U.S. Congress, proposed building a city, named after the archangel Columbia, which would uphold Christian and American values and share them with the world.

Congress agreed to fund the city, believing it could be a showcase of American exceptionalism. Zachary was later introduced to Rosalind Lutece, a respected quantum-physicist, who was able to indefinitely suspend an atom in midair--her colleagues referred to the process as "quantum levitation," while Rosalind herself dubbed it the "Lutece Field". The two worked hand in hand to create Columbia, and thus created it within the year 1892. The city began to travel around the world to showcase the American ideal and glory. Comstock was to become the leader and create a new religion known as the Founders, a religion expounding Christian and American values. However, Columbia still contained the flaws of racism, xenophobia and Laissez-faire business practices. Segregation was prominent in Columbia, and other religions were persecuted.

Upon further experimentation in the Lutece Field, Rosalind discovered that the quantum atom she was observing was also being observed from another dimension. It was none other than the male version of herself, Robert Lutece. Upon communication via Morse Code, Rosalind Lutece created the the Trans-Dimensional Machine, a machine able to open windows into any other dimension. After the creation of the machine, Comstock used this machine to uphold his status as a "Prophet." However, due to the mass exposure of the machine, it caused Comstock to age rapidly and his traits dissipate. Upon viewing another Tear, he discovered that if he did not have an heir, Columbia would fall. But because of his current state, he could not impregnate his current wife, Lady Comstock. Rosalind proposed that they recover a child of his from another dimension as it would be technically the same. Comstock agreed.

With the converse of Robert, the three discovered that Comstock's alternate self in Robert's universe remained Booker DeWitt, never taking the baptism, and in doing so later has a child. Seeing that Booker was in debt, Comstock sent Robert to Booker for his daughter, Anna DeWitt, for exchange of clearing Booker's debt. Booker agreed and handed Anna to Robert. However, Booker immediately regretted his decision and went after her. As Robert, Comstock and Anna were passing through the Tear back to Columbia with Rosalind, Booker attempted to get Anna back, resulting in Anna being brought back into Columbia, but with her finger being severed by the closing Tear.

Comstock brought Anna into Columbia and renamed her Elizabeth Comstock. He revered to Elizabeth as his "seed" that would one day take the throne of Columbia. Upon viewing another Tear, he saw Elizabeth was destined to destroy the surface world when she became ruler. However, in order to compensate for the sudden presence of Elizabeth, Comstock said that his wife was only pregnant for seven days to give birth to the miracle child. While initially Lady Comstock abided by this claim, she eventually came to realize that this was not her child.

1893-1902: The Beginning of the End
During Elizabeth's stay, she began to reveal a dangerous power: she was suddenly able to open windows into other worlds, much like the Trans-Dimensional Machine. Lady Comstock finally came to the realization that Elizabeth was not her child and accused Rosalind of having an affair. Lady Comstock wanted her out of the house. This and the dangerous ability Elizabeth possessed led Comstock and Rosalind to house Elizabeth in Monument Island, building an observatory and prison for her. Due to Elizabeth's power and the Trans-Dimensional Machine, Tears, momentary rips in the space-time continuum, were produced all around the city. People observed these phenomena and some few even learned to exploit them.

Jeremiah Fink, the founder and owner of Fink Manufacturing, built an industrial empire using these Tears. On August 12th, 1894, he learned through his brother, Albert, of the Tears occurring throughout Columbia. Fink was skeptical of the importance of the Tears, until seeing Albert make a fortune from selling new music emitting from them. Fink realized the profits which could be produced, and used the opportunity to steal advanced technology and science observed through the Tears. He advanced and expanded his company's inventions, of which the most recognizable were the Vigors.

While Columbia continued its construction, Comstock saw through a Tear a vision that one day, Booker DeWitt would somehow enter Columbia and come for Elizabeth. Fearful of his heir being lost to his alternate self, he created a "prophecy" for the city. Labeling Booker as a "False Shepherd," Comstock declared that the False Shepherd would one day come for Elizabeth to lead her astray from her destiny in becoming Columbia's leader and destroying the Sodom below. Observing Booker through the Tear, Comstock saw his right hand carved with the initials A.D. and hence signified this as the the mark of the False Shepherd. To keep Elizabeth safe in her tower, Comstock had Fink build the Songbird, a formidable creature designed to keep Elizabeth safe and inside Columbia.

In 1895, Lady Comstock finally became aware of Elizabeth's origins and confronted her husband on the matter. Panicking, he killed his own wife to silence the secret being revealed. One of Lady Comstock's servants, Daisy Fitzroy, overheard the struggle and went to see the commotion and discovered the dead body. Comstock quickly blamed the murder on Daisy and she quickly fled the scene. Because of the wide-spread belief that she murdered Lady Comstock, Daisy fled to hide in Finkton, where she formed the Vox Populi, a protest group against the Founders, who demanded rights for people of color, the foreign-born, and laborers.

In 1900, Columbia was finally launched into the sky and sent around the world to uphold American and Christian values. However, Columbia became involved in an international incident during the Boxer Rebellion. Columbia opened fire on Chinese citizens in Beijing, revealing to the world that the city was heavily armed. On July 6, 1902, the U.S. government formally disavowed Columbia's involvement in the Boxer Rebellion and recalled the city. Outraged, Zachary Comstock declared Columbia's secession from the United States and the city vanished into the clouds above. This date was then made into a city-wide holiday celebrating their superiority.

1902-1911: Before the Fall
As the years passed, Rosalind and Robert continued their research and observations of Elizabeth. As Elizabeth grew, she found interest in reading and learning skills such as lock picking, singing, painting, and more. She remained friends with the Songbird and lived happily. Elizabeth began using her abilities more as the grew. She was able to view other worlds and grew an interest in the city of Paris. In time, Elizabeth resented her situation and Songbird and realized she was a prisoner. Her first menstruation gave her a spike in power, after which Rosalind and Robert created the Siphon, a device which leeched Elizabeth's quantum energy, preventing the use of her full potential. Rosalind theorized the separation of her pinky as an infant gave Elizabeth the ability to open Tears, as her body was in two realities at once.

Sometime after Lady Comstock's murder, Daisy Fitzroy was captured by the Finkton Police. She was studied by Dr. Pinchot, who gave her intelligence tests, revealing a high-level genius. Dr. Pinchot formed a relationship with Daisy, and before her scheduled lobotomy, broke her free. In the end Daisy murdered the doctor and she made her escape. Daisy now had a full-fledged hatred for the Founders and sparked her protest group into a militant force against the city. Her tactics became more brutal in the ensuing war against Columbia and the Founders. Her belief was to stop the Founders by "pulling them from the roots," which meant killing their supporters, civilians and even children.

In 1909, Rosalind and Robert were observing a Tear which revealed the truth about Comstock's prophecy. In time, Elizabeth would abide by her father's beliefs and become the city's ruler. When those events happened, she would lay waste to the surface world. Both Rosalind and Robert did not wish to see this happen to Elizabeth or the surface, and instead sought to change it. Robert proposed that they send Elizabeth back into her former reality with her original father. However, Comstock got word of this and had Fink tamper with their Trans-Dimensional Device. When the Luteces attempted to use it, the machine malfunctioned. While it did not kill them, it did spread the Luteces all across reality. They now had the same ability as Elizabeth and began implementing their plan. Instead of returning Elizabeth, they now wanted to create a paradox where the whole tragedy never occurred.

The Lighthouse
By 1912, the Lutece twins finally managed to contact Booker by opening a Tear into his private investigation office. However, every time he entered, he suffered the same side-effects as Robert had. As one entered another reality, a person's former traits and memory collided with those from the new reality. The brain hemorrhages and memories were created from old ones, many of which were false memories, to compensate for the changes. Every time Booker entered into this different reality, his mind confused the previous sale of his daughter with a new memory where he must retrieve a girl from the city of Columbia. The Luteces made use of this confusion, and demanded that he bring the girl back, as a way to erase his debts.

Every previous time he re-entered Columbia, Booker always failed. He died in Columbia one-hundred and twenty two times, and the Luteces kept coming back to bring Booker into their reality again. It wasn't to be until the one-hundred and twenty-third try that Booker managed to stay alive and rescue Elizabeth. On this latest attempt, Booker was once again taken to a lighthouse off the coast of Maine on July 6, 1912. Booker was rowed to the island by the Lutece Twins. He entered the lighthouse, once again unaware of the city of Columbia, and was transported into the sky via shuttle rocket.

Comstock Center
Booker arrived in Columbia's Welcome Center, a church dedicated to the Founders and Father Comstock. Booker was then forced to be baptized by Preacher Witting in order to enter the city. Nearly drowning, Booker had a dream of a futuristic New York City being destroyed by Columbia. He awakened in the Garden of New Eden and finally entered the streets of Columbia, in New Eden Square. Booker happened to arrive in Columbia on July 6th, 1912, the anniversary of Columbia's secession, and entered the fairgrounds during a citywide Raffle and Fair. As Booker headed for Monument Island, the Luteces contacted him, telling him not to attend the city raffle and bring attention to himself.

Booker could not avoid attending and entered the raffle contest. Jeremiah Fink announced Booker as the winner and offered as prize a first throw at an interracial couple. Before Booker could do anything, Fink and the Columbian Police spotted the A.D. carved on his hand, which was known as the mark of the False Shepherd, who was destined to take Elizabeth out of Columbia. Fighting through the Columbian police, who attempted to execute him, as well as a Fireman who attempted to incinerate him, Booker met up with the Luteces at the Blue Ribbon Restaurant. They offered him a Shield Infusion as an "aperitif", telling him it would make the difference between life and death. After exiting the restaurant, Booker happened upon the headquarters of the Fraternal Order of the Raven. This was an organization of devotees of Lady Comstock, who worked to maintain the Founders' superiority as the ruling class. While traversing the building, Booker clashed with several Order members before battling their leader, a Zealot of the Lady.

After escaping the headquarters, Booker came across a gondola station to Monument Island, but it was out of order. Using a Sky-Hook to travel on the sky-lines and freight hooks, Booker managed to reach the gateway to Monument Island. Booker was then contacted by Zachary Comstock, who appeared before him via teleprompter from his zeppelin. Comstock said he knew everything about Booker and that everything would end terribly. Later on, Booker experienced a hemorrhage in the brain and bled profusely. He then used Comstock's zeppelin to arrive at the gates of Monument Island, barely escaping it after a worshipper set the craft ablaze.

Monument Island
Booker entered Monument Island, being desolate and abandoned. He came across various observational videos, photographs, vitals, and charts about Elizabeth. He realized that this girl had been observed by these people her entire life. Booker came to the Siphon in the atrium, which activated and leeched Elizabeth of her power as she was singing. He then took the elevator up to her apartment.

Booker discovered that Elizabeth's apartment had many one-way mirrors, and that she had no idea she was being watched. He first found her in the dressing room, showing her admiration for Paris. Booker then followed Elizabeth to the dining room where she observed her painting of the Eiffel Tower. She then opened a Tear to Paris in the 1980's, then hastily closed it as a firetruck suddenly approached. Booker, in shock, followed her to the library.

Booker accidentally fell through the ceiling and into Elizabeth's library. While initially scared and defensive, Elizabeth was relieved by Booker's presence as another person and expressed her desire to leave. Elizabeth became fearful, as a whistling signal blew and the Songbird approached her tower. Booker handed her the key and the two escaped from Monument Island, but not before the Songbird destroyed most of the tower. Booker and Elizabeth barely escaped, falling onto the shores of Battleship Bay.

Soldier's Field
Awakening on the shores of Battleship Bay, Booker found Elizabeth enjoying her newfound freedom as he later discovered the First Lady, a zeppelin which could take them out of Columbia. While he was lying to Elizabeth about taking her to Paris, they both headed for the First Lady's Aerodrome. Going there, the two were attacked at the Arcade, where Booker killed the attackers, making Elizabeth distraught. Booker reminded her how important she was to these people and made her realize that he would need to kill them if they wanted to leave.

Reaching Soldier's Field, they discovered they needed the Shock Jockey Vigor to power the gondola to the First Lady's Aerodrome. The two headed to the Hall of Heroes, where the Shock Jockey vigor was said to be located. As they ventured towards the Hall of Heroes, they talked about each other's lives. Booker's confused memory made him think that he lost his wife and child in childbirth and that he'd never heard of Columbia before. Elizabeth then opened a Tear and explained to Booker it was a window to another world. After narrowly avoiding an attack by Songbird through the Tear, Booker deemed it dangerous and advised not to use them.

Approaching the Hall of Heroes, Booker discovered that an old comrade from the Wounded Knee Massacre, Cornelius Slate, had joined the Vox Populi and taken refuge inside the Hall of Heroes, calling it "Hall of Whores." Booker and Elizabeth entered the Hall and were contacted by Slate. Comstock had apparently created a lie about his involvement at Wounded Knee and leading the cavalry. For exposing this lie, Slate was stripped of his title. Slate forced Booker and Elizabeth to go through the museum exhibits of Wounded Knee and the Boxer Rebellion, before meeting him. After going through those two displays, they were finally allowed access into the museum of Columbia. That museum covered the death of Lady Comstock, and Elizabeth discovered that she was the daughter of Comstock and was destined to follow him as leader of Columbia.

Nearing Slate, Booker advised Elizabeth to use her Tear-manipulation to assist in combat. After fighting through waves of Slate's men, Booker neutralized Slate and recovered the bottle of Shock Jockey. Returning back to the Aerodrome, Booker used the vigor to power the gondola. After fighting through Comstock's men, the two entered the First Lady. Elizabeth became excited about her freedom, seeing the world and Paris, but she noticed that Booker was directing the zeppelin towards New York. Booker revealed the lie and that he needed to bring her to New York to a man who would clear Booker's debt. Elizabeth broke down and as Booker comforted her, she knocked him out with a wrench.

Finkton
Booker awakened to find Elizabeth gone and the First Lady taken over by the Vox Populi and their leader, Daisy. Daisy told Booker that, in order for him to reclaim the First Lady, he had to first assist the Vox. To do so, he needed to find the gunsmith, Chen Lin, in the Factory to resupply his weapons for the Vox Populi's cause. Booker decided once again to find Elizabeth, but when he tried to pursue her, she opened up a number of Tears (a bunch of balloons, a marching band, and a passing train) to slow him down. Finally, when he caught up to her, he was ambushed and thrown off of the city by a Handyman. However, Booker caught onto a cargo barge summoned by Elizabeth. Despite the fact that Elizabeth considered Booker "a liar and a thug", she knew he was also her only means of reaching Paris. Booker let her in on how they could reclaim the First Lady. And so, they set out to fulfill Daisy Fitzroy's demands.

Booker and Elizabeth journeyed into Finkton, the industrial and labor district of Columbia. When entering the Plaza of Zeal, Booker was contacted by Jeremiah Fink to work for him as his head security officer. Booker denied, but later discovered from Chen Lin's wife that he was taken by the Founders into the Good Time Club. When entering the club, Fink once again offered Booker a position in his security and tested him in combat. Booker continued to deny him and reassured Elizabeth that people needed leaders like Daisy Fitzroy to end tyranny and injustice as he saw when he was a Pinkerton Agent. As the two reached the holding cells inside the Good Time Club, they found Chen Lin dead from extreme torture. However, the Lutece Twins appeared to reveal a Tear to a universe in which Chen Lin remained alive and able to help their cause, prompting Elizabeth to bring them into a reality where Chen Lin was never killed.

Upon entering this new realm, they discovered an automatic difference with reality. Namely, those who were killed in the previous universe had been brought back in a super-position in which they recalled being both dead and alive at once. One of these was Chen Lin, who was spared because his wife in this universe was a white woman connected with the Finkton Police. Upon realizing that the tools for making the guns were confiscated and stashed in a nearby police station, Booker and Elizabeth headed to Shantytown. Booker and Elizabeth journeyed through the poverty and cruelty in Finkton to find Chen Lin's tools in the police station. However, there were far too many tools and thus they were way too heavy to carry. Coincidentally, a Tear opened nearby where the tools weren't at the police station. Elizabeth, once again, brought the tools into a new reality of Columbia where the tools were gone.

The two discovered now how drastic the change truly was. Booker experienced the same super-position of being both dead and alive. Apparently, in this universe, Elizabeth was taken away from her tower before Booker could reach her. Booker, in this universe, was reunited with Slate and the two died burning the Hall of Heroes down, furthering the cause of the Vox as martyrs. Daisy had now taken a genocidal approach to her now militant protest army. The Vox laid siege to the Factory and massacred the soldiers and supporters of the Founders, including innocent people. However, upon entering the factory, Daisy noticed Booker and wished to keep him as a dead martyr to inspire the cause. Daisy then killed Jeremiah Fink and ordered her army to kill Booker and Elizabeth. The two neutralized Daisy's forces, but she was then set on murdering a Founder boy. Elizabeth killed Daisy and retreated to the First Lady, only to change her appearance and fill with regret. But before the First Lady could leave Columbia, the Songbird reappeared to crash-land it.

Emporia
The two crash-landed in Emporia, where the Lutece Twins confirmed that the only way to stop Songbird was controlling him through a specialized flute and playing key notes. Booker and Elizabeth then spotted Comstock House and aimed there. The Vox had now taken control over Emporia and most of Columbia, massacring any other survivors and burning the city down. The two attempted to enter Comstock House, but were told they needed a handprint key. The gate confused Elizabeth for Lady Comstock, giving Elizabeth the idea to retrieve Lady Comstock's hand from the air-tight coffin in the cemetery. However, upon retrieving her hand, Comstock released a small Siphon in the cemetery to leech Elizabeth of her power and used it to transform Lady Comstock's corpse into the Siren, a spectral form of Lady Comstock, both dead and alive, with the ability to revive the dead through manipulation of Tears. She was also hellbent on the lies Comstock had set of her, Elizabeth, and the Luteces. The Luteces revealed that in order to stop and have her help them, they would need to uncover the truth.

Going around in Emporia, Booker and Elizabeth uncovered the conspiracy about Comstock and Elizabeth. Through the Tears, the two learned the truth of Comstock's sterility due to exposure of the Tear device, the adoption of Elizabeth from another universe, and the plot to kill Lady Comstock and the Luteces by Comstock, himself. Elizabeth revealed the whole truth while battling the Lady Comstock spectral. While in disbelief, Lady Comstock forgave Elizabeth and furthered assisting the two by opening the gate to Comstock House. However, the Songbird impeded the two. Before the Songbird could murder Booker, Elizabeth intervened and begged him to take her back with him. Songbird agreed and Booker chased after the two, only to find it snowing in Columbia when it was supposed to be July.

Comstock House
Booker then entered Comstock House after hearing the cries of Elizabeth, all the while trying to avoid detection from disturbing figures known only as Boys of Silence. Through discovering certain Tears, Booker learned it had been at least six months since he last saw Elizabeth. She was then tortured and indoctrinated to uphold Comstock's beliefs, becoming a forefront for Columbia. However, Booker soon discovered it had been more than six months as the cries from Elizabeth were coming from a Tear. He then found Elizabeth and realized he had traveled forward 72 years, as Elizabeth had aged considerably and upheld her father's prophecy as she used Columbia to destroy New York City in 1984 -- the same dream Booker experienced when first entering Columbia. Old Elizabeth explained that it was her loss of hope that broke her and now regretted what she had become. Knowing her past self could stop the cycle by achieving her full potential, Old Elizabeth brought Booker forward in time to evade Songbird and gave Booker instructions on how to control him. She then sent Booker back to 1912 to rescue her younger self.

Finding himself back in Comstock House, Booker entered the operating room where he found Comstock and his doctors barely beginning to torture Elizabeth. Booker deactivated the generators to the Siphon, and with the machine now offline, Elizabeth opened a Tear to a field ravaged by a devastating tornado, thus killing the doctors. After Booker freed Elizabeth, the two decided to finally put a stop to the prophecy by confronting Comstock face to face. Journeying to the roof, they fought their way through fragments of the Founders' military and Motorized Patriots bearing Comstock's likeness. The duo boarded a Gunship and docked at the hangar bay of Comstock's zeppelin, the Hand of the Prophet.

The Hand of the Prophet
After navigating the levels of the zeppelin, Booker and Elizabeth confronted Comstock in his cabin. There, Comstock attempted to regain Elizabeth's trust by weakening her faith in Booker, grabbing her and demanding that Booker tell her the truth about her lost finger. In a fit of rage, Booker grabbed Comstock by the neck and smashed his head against a fountain multiple times before submerging his face in the water. After Elizabeth became concerned about Comstock's words, she and Booker happened upon an image of the statue of Columbia on Monument Island. Upon inspection, they found that the statue contained the Siphon restricting Elizabeth's powers. The two resolved to fly the ship to Monument Island to destroy the Siphon and learn the whole truth.

Alas, the Vox Populi were now unleashing an all-out assault on the Hand of the Prophet. At that moment, Elizabeth worked out the meaning of the letter given by her older self. Tearing a Whistler from a statue's head, she played the musical notes C-A-G-E, bringing Songbird under control. The Vox Populi began an assault on the flagship's main generator, and Songbird helped defend the surface deck from multiple Vox zeppelins.

Once the Vox and all the zeppelins had been eradicated, Elizabeth handed the Whistler to Booker. Playing the song on the Whistler, Songbird destroyed what remained of the statue, and with it, the Siphon inside. Upon the destruction of the tower, the massive energy feedback that resulted disabled the Whistler, thus losing control of Songbird. Just as Songbird charged at Booker, Elizabeth opened a Tear which transported them all to the Welcome Center of Rapture, trapping the creature outside the window. Elizabeth comforted Songbird in his final moments as he was crushed under the extreme pressure of the ocean.

Sea of Doors
Emerging to the surface by way of Bathysphere, Elizabeth was now able to see every reality and possibility and had became virtually omniscient. She revealed to Booker that Columbia and Rapture were connected via key elements, and were, in fact, the same city across different realities. She led Booker to a realm between realities, each displayed as one of many lighthouses that all represented the "beginning" of Booker's journey. Elizabeth explained that the worlds behind each door were similar and different in specific ways, all somehow connected. During this traversing of realities, Elizabeth revealed the truth of Booker's memory of events being flawed -- that he never agreed to retrieve her from Columbia in exchange for eliminating his debts. And that rather, Booker gave his infant daughter, Anna, to Robert Lutece for that same purpose. Booker then realized that Elizabeth was Anna, and the portal severing her finger was what gave her the power to create Tears in dimensional time and space when her body became a part of two separate dimensions.

After reexperiencing these events, Booker put the blame on Comstock, and thought that he and Elizabeth could go on with their lives since Comstock was no more. This wasn't the case, though, since Comstock remained alive in many more universes. The one way to be rid of Comstock was to go to the point where he first came to be. Booker was transported to one final location: the site of the baptism from which he fled. Here, different versions of Anna -- Elizabeth -- revealed the truth to Booker: he and Comstock were, in fact, the same man from different realities, one in which he was baptized after the Battle at Wounded Knee, and one in which he wasn't. In the reality where he went through with the baptism, that event acted as the origin of Zachary Hale Comstock. Booker then allowed all the Anna -- Elizabeths -- to submerge him before he could accept or reject the baptism, preventing his choice of accepting from ever being made and stopping Comstock from ever existing. With the elimination of Comstock across the timeline, Columbia's existence was also erased, and all the events that occurred over the past twenty years vanished along with it. One by one, the alternate versions of Anna -- Elizabeth -- began to disappear, until only the original remained, and thus the cycle had ended.