Oh! Hello! I've painted you! 
- ― Rudolf to Alan, Episode 4: The Truth
Rudolf Lane is a minor character who appears in Alan Wake and its tie-in comic, Psycho-Thriller. He was a painter and one of Doctor Emil Hartman's patients at the Cauldron Lake Lodge.
Appearance[]
Rudolf Lane was a Caucasian middle aged man, with shaved, gray hair. He wears a white t-shirt under a dark green coat alongside blue jeans, with a brown belt, and black boots.
Personality[]
Rudolf Lane was a polite, albeit naive, man. He was described as being a "classic" (or "stereotypical") artist, with a "certain degree" of tunnel vision. This means that, while he was painting, he could only concentrate on his work and, when he was not, he could only talk about said work. For a long time he suffered from "painter's block" that prevented him from painting anything that met his standards, which in turn led him to an state of depression.[1] This changed after Alan Wake arrived to Bright Falls and Lane was able to paint once again.
As stated by Emil Hartman, Rudolf was an easily controllable person. His naivety was what ultimately led him to his death, as he failed to see that Hartman's supposed gesture of kindness was in reality a ploy to have him take the doctor's place in his announced death.
Biography[]
Early Life[]
At some point in his life, Rudolf Lane was admitted to Cauldron Lake Lodge, on Bright Falls, Washington, under the care of Doctor Emil Hartman in order to treat his "painter's block".[1] In reality, Hartman's intention were far from altruistic, as he had been gathering troubled artists, such as Lane, with the purpose of using them as test subjects for his study of the supernatural properties of Cauldron Lake. However, unlike his other patients, Rudolf did not respond to Hartman's treatment.
Bright Falls AWE[]
Rudolf's "painter's block" ended shortly after the arrival of writer Alan Wake to Bright Falls. This led him to begin painting increasingly dark pictures of various monstrous and ghastly beings. Hartman, who, if not for Wake's arrival, was considering to discard Lane as a subject, deduced that Rudolf, unlike Wake, was not a "creator" but rather a "recorder".[2] Not long after, Wake was taken against his will to the Cauldron Lake Lodge in an effort by Hartman to have the writer under his control. While wandering through the lodge, Wake met Rudolf while the latter was painting of a picture of him, before stopping due to an approaching storm.[3] Shortly afterwards, when the Dark Presence began attacking the lodge, the Anderson Brothers led all the patients who were still in the building to safety. However, Rudolf was unable to join them because he had started painting uncontrollably. More than a day later, Lane was found by Hartman and nurse Sinclair, who were attempting to escape from the Taken Ben Mott. Looking at his paintings, Hartman realized that one of them depicted him being murdered by Mott. To prevent this from coming true, the doctor tricked Rudolf into taking his place by giving him his cardigan. After Lane naively put on the sweater, he realized Hartman and Sinclair had left him behind before being attacked and killed by the possessed Mott, who mistook the painter for his former employer.[4]
Trivia[]
- The Hartman Arrest report in AWE expansion of Control seems to suggest that Lane might have survived the Bright Falls AWE.[5]
Appearances[]
- Alan Wake
- Psycho Thriller
- Control
- AWE (mentioned in a document)
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Alan Wake Official Survival Guide
- ↑ Alan Wake: Episode 4: The Truth, recording "Hartman Reflects on Lane"
- ↑ Alan Wake: Episode 4: The Truth
- ↑ Psycho Thriller
- ↑ Control: AWE, report "Hartman Arrest"