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{{major spoiler}}
{{Major spoiler}}
''"The Masters of the Bazaar - Mr Wines, Mr Spices, Mr Veils and the rest - speak in high-pitched whispers, and under their concealing cloaks they seem winged or hunchbacked. Fallen angels, stunted pterodactyls, mobile colonies of fungus[, ...bats]? They dismiss all personal questions with an airy wave of their gloved hands."''
{{Character|title1 = The Masters of the Bazaar|image1 = Master twitter.jpg|caption1 = A Master of the Bazaar.|location = [[London]]|allegiance = [[The Bazaar]]|relationships = [[Curators]] (species)
<blockquote>''"The Masters of the Bazaar - Mr Wines, Mr Spices, Mr Veils and the rest - speak in high-pitched whispers, and under their concealing cloaks they seem winged or hunchbacked. Fallen angels, stunted pterodactyls, mobile colonies of fungus? They dismiss all personal questions with an airy wave of their gloved hands."''<ref name="sidebar">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Sidebar_Snippets|Sidebar Snippets|Fallen London|}}</ref></blockquote>
''"The Masters apply peculiar customs duties: to fish below a certain size, to green ribbons but not red, to speckled eggs but not plain. Perhaps their strangest tax is a heavy duty on stories of love, but it only applies to stories leaving the Neath..."''
<blockquote>''"The Masters apply peculiar customs duties: to fish below a certain size, to green ribbons but not red, to speckled eggs but not plain. Perhaps their strangest tax is a heavy duty on stories of love, but it only applies to stories leaving the Neath..."''<ref name="sidebar">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Sidebar_Snippets|Sidebar Snippets|Fallen London|}}</ref></blockquote>
{{Character|title1 = The Masters of the Bazaar|image1 = master.png|caption1 = Move along now. Art from FL.|location = [[London]]|allegiance = [[The Bazaar]]}}
'''The Masters of the [[The Echo Bazaar| Bazaar]]''': it's hard to describe these cloaked, slightly creepy ''things'' as anything but, well, <font color="purple"><span style="background-color: purple">alien space bats</span></font>. They call themselves Mr, but they may not really be men. There are eleven titles, but two Masters take up four of them, and the rest have one apiece for a total of nine total Masters. Oh, and there are a few other titles that aren't ''really'' Masters, empirically speaking. Confusing? [[Fallen London|London]] is generally that way...
'''The Masters of [[The Echo Bazaar|the Bazaar]]''': it's hard to describe these cloaked, slightly creepy ''things'' as anything but, well, alien space bats. They call themselves Mr, but they may not really be men. There are eleven titles, but two space bats take up four of them, and the rest have one apiece for a total of nine bats. Confusing? [[Fallen London]] is generally that way...__forcetoc__
__forcetoc__
==An Introduction==
<blockquote>''"Authority is what's left when the money runs out."''<ref>https://twitter.com/Mr_Apples/status/6927249405</ref></blockquote>
The Masters of the Bazaar are in near-complete control of [[London]]'s trade economy. Each Master oversees a certain form of trade; for example, [[Mr Iron]] oversees the trade of metals and weapons. The Masters may seem united, but in truth, many of them run independent (and sometimes incompatible and clashing) schemes that occasionally span far beyond the scope of London.
The Masters generally took on similar jobs and roles in the previous [[The Fallen Cities|Fallen Cities]]; for example, they were called '''Khans''' during the time of the [[The Khanate|Fourth]].<ref name="khans">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Dubious_attribution|Dubious attribution|Fallen London|}}</ref> As might be expected of these beings, the Masters are thousands of years old. Don't ''ever'' mention the Second City in their presence, however; they will all react in different but unanimously negative ways.<ref name="sidebar">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Sidebar_Snippets|Sidebar Snippets|Fallen London|}}</ref>
==The Masters as a Group==
'''UNDER CONSTRUCTION'''<gallery>
File:Chiropteroushoarder.png|Mr Apples (Mr Hearts)
File:MrIron.png|Mr Iron
File:MrCups.png|Mr Cups
File:MrMirrors.png|Mr Mirrors
File:Spices.png|Mr Spices
File:MrWines.png|Mr Wines
File:MrVeils.png|Mr Veils
File:MrFires.png|Mr Fires
File:Pages.png|Mr Pages
File:Mrstones default.png|Mr Stones
File:Well.png|And who might this be?
</gallery>
==The Masters' Artifacts==
Everyone has treasures they'd like to keep under wraps, and the Masters are no exception.
|"'''Catch?' There is no 'catch'. All is delight and freedom from care!"''
|<blockquote>"''The most stirring, the most wretched, the most savage tales of love and loss are here entombed. It has passed through fire and flood to rest in your hands. Leave it sealed... for now."''</blockquote>
''"This upstanding citizen governs commerce in food, wood and immortality. They say it's an ally of Mr Veils."''
'''Mr Apples''', aka '''Mr Hearts''', has also been known by the names Mr Barley, Khan of Roots, and Khan of Hearts. Known for a love of games and gambling, this darkly cheery, kind, and 'overly familiar' Master is in charge of trade in food, wood, and immortality. As Mr Hearts, it deals in meats, skins, ligaments, bones, bloods, and animals, and runs an emporium at the [[The Labyrinth of Tigers|Labyrinth of Tigers.]] It's probably the most innocent Master; the worst atrocity it is known to commit is selling a very mysterious meat (whose consumption makes one Unaccountably Peckish... uh-oh) at its emporium.
Mr Apples can be encountered rarely at [[Mrs. Plenty's Carnival]]. Those seeking to obtain pleasure-yachts will have to gamble with it - and win - to get them.
'''The Crimson Book''' contains the most 'savage tales of love and loss' and has 'passed through fire and flood'. This indicates that the Crimson Book may have been written long before [[the Fifth City]]; perhaps it is still being added to today?<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/A_Sealed_Copy_of_the_Crimson_Book|A Sealed Copy of the Crimson Book|Fallen London|}}</ref> The Masters have allegedly assigned a group of Special [[The Constables|Constables]] to specifically seek out and confiscate any and all copies.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Speak_with_bohemians_about_lost_loves_and_the_Surface|Speak with bohemians about lost loves and the Surface|Fallen London|}}</ref>
|''"Work hard for the enrichment of the Bazaar, and us all. Shun seditionists. Practice courtesy & honesty."''
|<blockquote>''"The most grandiose trophy an anarchist might aspire to. Was it shed in battle, or given as a gift?"''<blockquote>
Known for a harboring a strong enmity toward Mr Spices, this distant and proper (though possibly flirtatious) Master is in charge of trade in crockery, pottery, and sculpture. Under the name of '''Mr Mirrors''', '''Mr Cups''' is also in charge of trade in "the frangible and the fine." This includes fine or quality secrets unlike the more affordable variety proffered by Mr Pages.
Mr Cups employs a group of "Relickers;" these collectors are tasked with salvaging junk or certifiable scraps, which they sometimes pay for with valuable items. It can be found running an emporium in the [[The Labyrinth of Tigers|Labyrinth of Tigers]]; its alter ego Mr Mirrors can occasionally be encountered in the [[Parabola|Mirror-Marches]].
Mr Cups/Mr Mirrors appears to be behind the murders of the loved ones of Fallen Londoners seeking their Nemeses. It and Mr Wines also drove the [[Watchmaker's Daughter]], a talented craftswoman whose toys came alive, to suicide.
'''Masters' Blood''' has many unusual and unique properties that separate it from normal blood. It is a far deeper red, is cold to the touch, and contains a song: 'an unending fading ring like black space struck with a fingernail.' It also emits a constant low vibration, and if left on a shelf, other items will physically move away from it.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Vial_of_Masters'_Blood|Vial of Masters' Blood|Fallen London|}}</ref>
|''"Not bad, my little one. I’ll be keeping an eye on you."''
'''Mr Fires''' has also been known as Khan of Fire. Known for being the only Master who actually likes living in London, this strict yet confident Master is in charge of trade in coal, gas, candles (since the fall of the Third City at least), as well as dockside trade and dirigibles. Rumor has it that it intentionally tampers with the stories of London so as to make them useless to the Bazaar and prolong its stay in the Fifth City. But Mr Fires has a dark side: <span style="font-weight:normal;">it also is mean to its employees, hates unions, and runs the Orphanage, which is really a secret testing facility for all sorts of atrocious substances.</span>
Mr Fires controls the neddy men (the Masters' enforcers), and its allies can find it near its office in [[Wolfstack Docks]].
|<blockquote>''"If Mr Veils shed hair - if blind orphans collected, carded and spun it over the years - it might just look like this."''</blockquote>
''"Tools, printing-presses, guns, steam-engines: taxes from trade in these are payable to Mr Iron. They say it never speaks, but can write with both hands simultaneously."''
'''Mr Iron''' has also been known as Mr Bronze and Khan of Swords. Known for communicating only through written means (often writing with both hands at once), this silent and seemingly humorless Master is in charge of trade in tools, engines, weapons, and printing presses. Mr Iron actively discourages notable professions and involvement in stories. Rumor has it that it is also secretly in charge of the game of [[Knife-and-Candle]].
Mr Iron can be occasionally encountered at [[Mrs Plenty's Carnival|Mrs Plenty's Carnival]], but that's not necessarily a good thing.
Little is known about '''Veils-Velvet''' aside from this quote, which would explain why this fabric is so incredibly valuable.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Veils-Velvet_Scrap|Veils-Velvet Scrap|Fallen London|}}</ref>
|''"It is my business to keep secrets, your Grace. Mine and the Ministry’s. We desire only to preserve London from maleficitude."''
Known for a bountifacious proclivity towards verboserlous sayitudes, the excitable and friendly '''Mr Pages''' is in charge of trade in anything and everything written as well as all manner of writing implements. Mr Pages employs the Ministry of Public Decency who are tasked with <strike>collecting cool books</strike> protecting the public from "dangerous contraband."
As one of the more accessible Masters, Mr Pages can be encountered throughout the whole of London, especially at the emporium he runs in [[the Labyrinth of Tigers]].
===[[File:Riverofblood.png|40px]] The Sceptre of [[Mr Wines]]===
!colspan=3|[[File:redhoney.png|50px]] Mr Spices
|-
|-
|''"I do not play games! I am a Master of the Bazaar! It is not a matter for games!"''
|<blockquote>''"Topped with a black ruby miniature of an unknown crown, this bronzewood sceptre represents all the authority of some far-away kingdom and its once and former king."''</blockquote>
The irritable and peevish '''Mr Spices''' is in charge of trade in spices, sweet smokes, and [[Prisoner's Honey|prisoner's honey]].
Mr Spices and Mr Wines were once friends, but then they fell into dispute over which of them has right and claim to the domain of dreams. It and Mr Cups are also enemies. One of the more elusive masters, Mr Spices appears very infrequently in the stories of London; it seems that the only situation in which one may encounter it is during the hunt for [[Criminals|Jack-of-Smiles]] (which this Master created in a halfhearted attempt to somehow make more love stories through murder).
A symbol of power that once belonged to a king. '''The Scepter of Mr Wines''' is as heavy as lead, covered in frost and talon-marks, and is topped with a jewel from a [[the High Wilderness|faraway land]].<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Sceptre_of_Mr_Wines|The Sceptre of Mr Wines|Fallen London|}}</ref> Mr Wines doesn't like looking at it much; maybe it's just insecure.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Property_of_Mr_Wines|The Property of Mr Wines|Fallen London|}}</ref>
'''Mr Stones''' has also been known by the name Mr Marble, and perhaps Khan of Marble as well. This terse and materialistic Master is in charge of trade in all manner of stones including jewels, quarrystone, salt, and blasting powder. It is rumored that Mr Stones tires of life in the Fifth City and wishes to expedite its end.
<blockquote>''"...everything I've ever told you was a lie. Except this. Mr Spices, Mr Iron, the rest, aren't the Masters of the Bazaar. They're its pets."''<ref>Rare success on "[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Speak_with_your_consulting_cartographer Speak with your consulting cartographer]"</ref></blockquote>
Mr Stones can be encountered running one of the emporiums in [[the Labyrinth of Tigers]] ; it is also responsible for the Affair of the Box.
<blockquote>''"The second source is ''A Rhyming Revelry'', a slim book of nonsense rhymes written by a once-celebrated cellist. He was, for a time, a favourite at Mr Wines’ revels. One rhyme concerns eleven pilgrims who travelled from a cold and windy waste. It enumerates each of the reasons the pilgrims were unwelcome in their homeland."''<ref name="secret">{{Citation|https://www.failbettergames.com/a-secret-about-the-masters/|A secret about the Masters|Failbetter Games|}}</ref></blockquote>
|}
[[File:Chiropteroushoarder.png|thumb|Mr Apples / Mr Hearts. Art from Sunless Skies.]]
Based on two controversial sources, one called ''On the Origins and Descent of the Masters'' and another called ''A Rhyming Revelry'', we may reveal the following information.
|''"A scream is just an imperfectly tuned song. And we all have a song in our hearts."''
''"Mr Veils deals with clothing and fabric, and takes a close interest in the silk-weavers of [[Spite]]. But not in any of the more dubious activities in the district of Spite! The mere suggestion is slander!"''
The Masters belong to a species native to [[the High Wilderness]] called [[Curators]]. These oversized space-bats hunt in the space between [[Judgements|stars]], often alone. On occasion, a group of Curators may band together to boast of their hoards and trade deals, and may fight amongst themselves for supremacy. Curator chiefs are described as "victorious, merciless pedlar-magnates."
Duplicitous and impatient, '''Mr Veils''' is best known for its enjoyment of hunts and songs. It is in charge of trade in clothing and fabric and can be encountered running one of the emporiums in the Labyrinth of Tigers. Zailors sometimes misattribute Mr Veils as being in charge of Mr Wines' ladies of the evening in their zee-zongs. This Master may (or may not) have sold out Mr Eaten, who actually enjoyed staying in one place for a while.
In the grand scheme of things, the Masters of the Bazaar weren't Masters at all. Rather, they were a group of misfit criminals who joined forces with the Bazaar to escape "misfortune, failure, and fruitlessness."
Mr. Veils assumes [[The Vake|another, more malevolent identity]] as well, which is probably the only known case of a Master actually using its wings.
=== The Crimes of the Masters ===
|}
''A Rhyming Revelry'' provides hints about the crimes of the Masters, though which crimes correspond to what bat are based on conjecture and guesswork.<ref name="secret">{{Citation|https://www.failbettergames.com/a-secret-about-the-masters/|A secret about the Masters|Failbetter Games|}}</ref> The circumstances given in ''A Rhyming Revelry'' are:
*Hoarding (Stones)<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Steer_the_conversation_to_Mr_Stones|Steer the conversation to Mr Stones|Fallen London|"[...]one must wonder what all this wealth Mr Stones is accumulating is for. The Masters do not value wealth for its own sake. So what is it going to do with it all?"}}</ref>
!colspan=3|[[File:blood.png|50px]] Mr Wines
|-
|''"To the wicked and the wise! To the hungry and the sharp!"''
''"Trade in anything drinkable comes under the jurisdiction of Mr Wines. Though it can't be bothered with water. Entertainment, music and the business of the ladies of the evening are also its domain. There's supposed to be some sort of dispute about dreams."''
*Light-bringing (Fires?)
'''Mr Wines''' has also been called Khan of Dreams, and appeared in the Fourth City as the Cloaked Emissary. Known for entertaining guests at huge revels, this jovial Master is in charge of the trade in all things drinkable, including medicine and with the exception of water. One of the more accessible Masters, it can be encountered throughout London; for example, it'll occasionally appear at [[Mrs. Plenty's Carnival]]. It is in charge of a group of dancing beauties who are often misassigned by zailors to Mr Veils.
*Impersonation, and the delivery of false testimony (probably Cups or Apples/Hearts, by process of elimination)
<span style="font-weight:normal;">Though Mr Wines is not known for many atrocities, it and Mr Cups/Mr Mirrors drove the [[Watchmaker's Daughter]], a talented craftswoman whose toys came alive, to suicide. Mr Wines is also London's most notorious check-skipper, and has a reputation for leaving others holding the bill for parties here and there.</span>
*Perpetration of the crimes of knife and of candle (Iron?)
|}
== The Not-Masters ==
*Idleness, and the dwelling-on of dreams (Spices?)
These figures are not considered "true" Masters, rather, they are titles held by several other beings.
! colspan="3" |[[File:mistersacks.png|50px]] Mr Sacks
|-
|
'''Mr Sacks''' appears during the eponymous 12 Days of Mr Sacks, a rather demented version of Christmas. It is - er, they are in fact other figures of note: at first Mr Wines, then various [[Noman|Nomen]] (and [[Silas the Showman|one showman]]) emulating the other Masters.
Mr Sacks carries around a huge bag, which it uses to collect gifts from the citizenry over the course of the holiday. It's Christmas, only in reverse. And more ghastly, because sometimes, Mr Sacks will collect people.
* Runtery, aberration (<font color="red">Eaten</font>)<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/No_map_knows_the_place_you_go|No map knows the place you go|Fallen London|}}</ref>(though also all of them)<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Convocation_of_Runts|The Convocation of Runts|Fallen London|}}</ref>
|''Who is it? Is it, in fact, one of the Masters of the Bazaar? Is it Mr Iron or Mr Pages trading under another name? Or is it a bold rascal pretending to be an unknown Master? ''
We do know that it runs the [[House of Chimes]]. '''Mr Chimes''' has also been known by the name Khan of Drums; it seems to be a role played by many Masters.
*Pursuit of a Treachery (Apples/Hearts for the Treachery of Breath<ref name="almost eternal">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Incarnadine_Fur_Robe|Incarnadine Fur Robe|Fallen London|}} ''"Mr Apples is hunched over a vast steel desk bristling with many-lensed contraptions. [...] This rare specimen is almost eternal [...]"''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Mostly_Stuffed_Bound_Shark|Mostly Stuffed Bound Shark|Fallen London|}}</ref>, or Cups for the Treachery of Clocks<ref>{{Citation|1=https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_trade_in_clocks|2=The trade in clocks|3=Fallen London|4="There are clockmakers' shops in the Neath, but they are the preserve of Mr Cups, and it is difficult to find them. Apparently, he guards his monopoly on clocks jealously, as if this puts him in control of time itself."}}</ref>)
|}
==The Masters' Artifacts==
* Failure and defeat; a fall from king to beggar (Wines)<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Cricket,_Anyone%3F|Cricket, Anyone?|Fallen London|}}</ref>
Everyone has treasures they'd like to keep under wraps, and the Masters are no exception.
! colspan="3" |[[File:crimsonbook.png|50px]] The Crimson Book
|-
|
The Crimson Book contains the most 'savage tales of love and loss' and has 'passed through fire and flood'. This indicates that the Crimson Book may have been written long before the Fifth City; perhaps it is still being added to today? The Masters have allegedly assigned a group of Special Constables to specifically seek out and confiscate any and all copies.
! colspan="3" |[[File:blood.png|50px]] Masters' Blood
|-
|
Masters' Blood has many unusual and unique properties that separate it from normal blood. It is a far deeper red, is cold to the touch, and contains a song: 'an unending fading ring like black space struck with a fingernail.' It also emits a low constant vibration, such that if left on a shelf other items will physically move away from it.
! colspan="3" |[[File:veilsvelvet.png|50px]] Veils-Velvet
|-
|Little is known about Veils-Velvet. A similar material can only be obtained by blind orphans who have collected scraps of Mr Veils' "hair" then carded and spun it for over a year.
|}
== What Lies Under the Cloak ==
The following information is derived from two highly controversial sources:
The first was an end-of-term paper entitled On the Origins and Descent of the Masters. It was written by a [[The University|Benthic]] student, who claimed it was based on rubbings taken from a lost Second City inscription. Her paper (along with the rest of the class’s coursework) was seized by an Auditor from the Ministry of Public Decency. The Principal awarded each student a first, as is traditional when their work is seized by the Ministry.
The student responsible emigrated – abruptly – to [[the Iron Republic]], but not before scratching a choice excerpt into the back of a toilet door with a compass. The passage was discovered by several students and circulated, before the Ministry returned and removed every toilet door in the college at the hinges.
The second source is A Rhyming Revelry, a slim book of nonsense rhymes written by a once-celebrated cellist. He was, for a time, a favourite at Mr Wines’ revels. One rhyme concerns eleven pilgrims who travelled from a cold and windy waste. It enumerates each of the reasons the pilgrims were unwelcome in their homeland.
The book is impossible to find these days, but it is said the Jovial Contrarian has a copy, and enjoys quoting it at more libertine events.
By combining these sources, and indulging in a certain amount of speculative recreation, we can suppose the following:
Firstly, that the Masters’ kind are denizens of the High Wilderness, called [[Curators]]. Their hunting-grounds lie in the dark span between the stars. Occasionally, some instinct draws them together to boast of their recent bargains, trade secrets, and battle to establish primacy. Their chiefs are victorious, merciless pedlar-magnates.
Secondly, that the Masters were not Masters in the High Wilderness. Indeed, they accepted the position as emissaries of the Bazaar in order to escape misfortune, failure, and fruitlessness.
Thirdly, we have an inkling about the reasons for their ignoble conditions, although no indication which applies to which Master (inferences can still be made). Weirdly enough, there are a total of ten bats that arrived in the Neath, but there are ''eleven'' verses in the Revelry. This seems to imply that a would-be Master died en route or simply never revealed itself, or maybe it refers to the Bazaar itself. The circumstances given in A Rhyming Revelry are:
*hoarding (Stones?)
*Truth-strangling (Pages)<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Train_with_Mr_Pages|Train with Mr Pages|Fallen London|}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/A_Dream_of_Truth-Strangling|A Dream of Truth-Strangling|Fallen London|}}</ref>
*light-bringing (Fires?)
*Violation of the Order of Days, “which determines the hour of the hunt, the feast, the council, the bargain, and the slaughter” (Veils)<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Day_of_the_Hunt|The Day of the Hunt|Fallen London|}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Embattled_with_Curator_Mr_Veils|Embattled with Curator Mr Veils|Fallen London|}}</ref>
*impersonation, and the delivery of false testimony (Apples/Hearts?)
==References==
{{Scroll box|text=<references/>}}
*perpetration of the crimes of knife and of candle (Iron?)
*idleness, and the dwelling-on of dreams (Spices?)
*runtery, aberration (<font color = red>'''''...'''''</font>)
*pursuit of a Treachery (The Bazaar?)
*failure and defeat; a fall from king to beggar (Wines?)
*glass-whispering. And worse: charity (Cups/Mirrors?)
*truth-strangling (Pages?)
*violation of the Order of Days, “which determines the hour of the hunt, the feast, the council, the bargain, and the slaughter” (Veils?)
! colspan="3" |[[File:Appallingsecretnew.png|50px]] [[Mr Eaten]]
|-
|
''Who is Mr Eaten? A good question, but not a wise one.''
''The Drowned Man's brothers - aye, and sisters - gave him to the knives and the lacre.''
Consumed long ago when the Third City fell. Now a reclusive shadow of its former self. The main force behind the nightmarish, incredibly menacing search for its true name. One could pursue this search... but don't. Just don't.
''A reckoning is not to be postponed indefinitely. ''
|}
[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Creatures]]
[[Category:Nonhuman]]
[[Category:Nonhumans]]
[[Category:Factions]]
[[Category:Factions]]
[[Category:Unfinished]]
[[Category:Curators]]
Latest revision as of 17:26, 21 August 2024
"Are you quite sure you want to know this?"
Beyond this point lie major spoilers for Fallen London, Sunless Sea, Sunless Skies, or Mask of the Rose. This may include endgame or major Fate-locked spoilers. Proceed at your own risk.
You can find out more about our spoiler policy here.
"The Masters of the Bazaar - Mr Wines, Mr Spices, Mr Veils and the rest - speak in high-pitched whispers, and under their concealing cloaks they seem winged or hunchbacked. Fallen angels, stunted pterodactyls, mobile colonies of fungus? They dismiss all personal questions with an airy wave of their gloved hands."[1]
"The Masters apply peculiar customs duties: to fish below a certain size, to green ribbons but not red, to speckled eggs but not plain. Perhaps their strangest tax is a heavy duty on stories of love, but it only applies to stories leaving the Neath..."[1]
The Masters of the Bazaar: it's hard to describe these cloaked, slightly creepy things as anything but, well, alien space bats. They call themselves Mr, but they may not really be men. There are eleven titles, but two Masters take up four of them, and the rest have one apiece for a total of nine total Masters. Oh, and there are a few other titles that aren't really Masters, empirically speaking. Confusing? London is generally that way...
"Authority is what's left when the money runs out."[2]
The Masters of the Bazaar are in near-complete control of London's trade economy. Each Master oversees a certain form of trade; for example, Mr Iron oversees the trade of metals and weapons. The Masters may seem united, but in truth, many of them run independent (and sometimes incompatible and clashing) schemes that occasionally span far beyond the scope of London.
The Masters generally took on similar jobs and roles in the previous Fallen Cities; for example, they were called Khans during the time of the Fourth.[3] As might be expected of these beings, the Masters are thousands of years old. Don't ever mention the Second City in their presence, however; they will all react in different but unanimously negative ways.[1]
"The most stirring, the most wretched, the most savage tales of love and loss are here entombed. It has passed through fire and flood to rest in your hands. Leave it sealed... for now."
The Crimson Book contains the most 'savage tales of love and loss' and has 'passed through fire and flood'. This indicates that the Crimson Book may have been written long before the Fifth City; perhaps it is still being added to today?[4] The Masters have allegedly assigned a group of Special Constables to specifically seek out and confiscate any and all copies.[5]
"The most grandiose trophy an anarchist might aspire to. Was it shed in battle, or given as a gift?"
Masters' Blood has many unusual and unique properties that separate it from normal blood. It is a far deeper red, is cold to the touch, and contains a song: 'an unending fading ring like black space struck with a fingernail.' It also emits a constant low vibration, and if left on a shelf, other items will physically move away from it.[6]
"Topped with a black ruby miniature of an unknown crown, this bronzewood sceptre represents all the authority of some far-away kingdom and its once and former king."
A symbol of power that once belonged to a king. The Scepter of Mr Wines is as heavy as lead, covered in frost and talon-marks, and is topped with a jewel from a faraway land.[8] Mr Wines doesn't like looking at it much; maybe it's just insecure.[9]
"...everything I've ever told you was a lie. Except this. Mr Spices, Mr Iron, the rest, aren't the Masters of the Bazaar. They're its pets."[10]
"The second source is A Rhyming Revelry, a slim book of nonsense rhymes written by a once-celebrated cellist. He was, for a time, a favourite at Mr Wines’ revels. One rhyme concerns eleven pilgrims who travelled from a cold and windy waste. It enumerates each of the reasons the pilgrims were unwelcome in their homeland."[11]
Mr Apples / Mr Hearts. Art from Sunless Skies.
Based on two controversial sources, one called On the Origins and Descent of the Masters and another called A Rhyming Revelry, we may reveal the following information.
The Masters belong to a species native to the High Wilderness called Curators. These oversized space-bats hunt in the space between stars, often alone. On occasion, a group of Curators may band together to boast of their hoards and trade deals, and may fight amongst themselves for supremacy. Curator chiefs are described as "victorious, merciless pedlar-magnates."
In the grand scheme of things, the Masters of the Bazaar weren't Masters at all. Rather, they were a group of misfit criminals who joined forces with the Bazaar to escape "misfortune, failure, and fruitlessness."
A Rhyming Revelry provides hints about the crimes of the Masters, though which crimes correspond to what bat are based on conjecture and guesswork.[11] The circumstances given in A Rhyming Revelry are:
↑Steer the conversation to Mr Stones, Fallen London "[...]one must wonder what all this wealth Mr Stones is accumulating is for. The Masters do not value wealth for its own sake. So what is it going to do with it all?"
↑Incarnadine Fur Robe, Fallen London"Mr Apples is hunched over a vast steel desk bristling with many-lensed contraptions. [...] This rare specimen is almost eternal [...]"
↑The trade in clocks, Fallen London "There are clockmakers' shops in the Neath, but they are the preserve of Mr Cups, and it is difficult to find them. Apparently, he guards his monopoly on clocks jealously, as if this puts him in control of time itself."
Mr Apples (Mr Hearts)
Mr Iron
Mr Cups
Mr Mirrors
Mr Spices
Mr Wines
Mr Veils
Mr Fires
Mr Pages
Mr Stones
And who might this be?
