Mr Sacks: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 03:16, 25 May 2025

"A knock on your door. A hunched figure. Every year, this Crimson Beast of Winter brings his terrible sack, demanding gifts to fill the void. And now you hear a high-pitched, faintly peevish voice: 'What will you put in my sack?'"^[1]

Mr Sacks appears during Fallen London's demented version of Christmas, known colloquially as Sacksmas. The creature is also known as the Crimson Beast of Winter.^[2]

Sacks of Yore[edit]

"The Crimson Beast of Winter towers above you on the snow-drowned street, its sack open wide to receive your offering. "I WILL TAKE ALL YOU CAN GIVE. I WILL TAKE EVERYTHING YOU HAVE. I WILL TAKE MORE.""^[3]

Mr Sacks wore a red robe trimmed with white fur that smelled of musk and ammonia.^[4] It was considered one of the Masters of the Bazaar, though unlike the others, it did not speak in a shrill voice. Instead, it was noted for its gravelly tone.^[5]

During the Sacksmas season, in a departure from Surface Christmas traditions, people were expected to give gifts to Mr Sacks rather than receive them.^[5] It only allowed people to take a gift from its sack if the item was intended for someone else.^[6] However, those who wished to keep their valuables could offer their “best regards” instead (but only once,^[7] as this would upset Sacks).^[8] Metaphysical goods counted as gifts as well,^[9]^[10]^[11] and Sacks could heal wounds by "taking" them.^[12] Some Londoners exploited this to give Mr Sacks their painful memories, or troublesome objects or emotions,^[13]^[14] but it simply redistributed them across the Neath.^[15]

Most infamously, a person could offer themselves and happily be stuffed into the Master's sack,^[16] resulting in a deeply unpleasant experience before eventually being returned home.^[17] Survivors have described the interior as, essentially, a Sack of Holding^[18] to contain all of its gifts.^[19]^[20]^[21] Sacks could also appear in dreams; those who offered themselves while dreaming would never wake up again.^[22]

Mr Sacks was always accompanied by urchins, who were said to have made a pact with it, and whom it appeared to respect greatly.^[23] Some of these children were given as gifts at prior Sacksmases.^[24] According to rumor, each winter they placed the last year of their lives into their employer's sack, allowing them to remain children indefinitely.^[25] This claim remained unconfirmed; the urchins either joked about it^[26] or become evasive when asked.^[27] Regardless, they acted as Mr Sacks’s attendants and couriers,^[28] and seemed to know secrets no ordinary child should.^[29] The Master hunted down spies alongside the urchins it employed,^[30] and attempts to steal its sack were met with punishment.^[31]

The original Mr Sacks was the first Noman,^[32] amalgamated from both human and inhuman individuals.^[33] It experimented with the creation of further Nomen,^[34] though all of its efforts were deemed failures.^[35] Mr Wines was especially concerned about these experiments and secretly sabotaged them.^[36] It remains unclear what the original Mr Sacks hoped to achieve through these efforts, but its goals may have had something to do with its eventual disappearance and replacement by other versions of Mr Sacks in 1891.

Mr... Sackses?[edit]

"There are some things we were not meant to know, they say. But you wouldn't be down here if you took that seriously."

Beyond this point lie spoilers for Fallen London, Sunless Sea, Sunless Skies, or Mask of the Rose. This may include midgame or minor Fate-locked content. Proceed with caution.

You can find out more about our spoiler policy here.

"The Neath-snow has fallen more thickly this week. Mr Sacks, too, seems thick on the ground. Cloaked and hooded Masterly figures are visiting certain addresses not once but several times, demanding gifts. What is going on?"^[37]

The original Mr Sacks and its urchins were replaced in 1891. The new Sacks still wore the same crimson robes and carried out the same mission, but observers noted subtle shifts in its voice^[38] and mannerism.^[39] More intriguingly, it began to appear multiple times throughout the holiday season rather than in a single annual visit.^[40] In fact, it gradually became clear that there were not one but many Sackses,^[41] which were all Nomen made in the likenesses of the Masters. Each Noman referred to its respective Master as an Original.^[41] According to Lilac, the relationship between a Master and their Nomen is akin to parenthood;^[42] while the Nomen are based on their Originals, they may diverge in behavior or even oppose them entirely.^[43]

As Christmas approaches, when Earth drifts farthest from the Sun, the Bazaar becomes even more despondent than normal,^[44] and its lacre reservoirs swell with sorrow.^[45]^[46] If the Bazaar becomes too melancholy, lacre will flood into London,^[47] depriving the Stone Pigs of the lacre that keeps them dormant,^[48] waking them up and destroying everything.^[49] Prior to 1891, whenever this melancholia deepened beyond endurance, the original Mr Sacks would rise from the lacre; it would walk the streets of London, collecting small comforts, cherished trinkets, heartwarming stories, and, occasionally, carrying out strategic "abductions" on behalf of the Bazaar to hold back despair and prevent the city from sinking beneath the lacre. This role has now been assumed by the Masters' Nomen, who are dispatched when the Bazaar’s sadness threatens to overflow.^[50] The Sackses are also useful for gathering information or resources under festive pretenses and, occasionally, for spreading genuine cheer.

Which Noman Is Which?[edit]

Mr Spices' Noman is instantly recognizable by its propensity for honey^[51] and a voice uncannily similar to its Original’s.^[52]
Mr Wines' Noman also inherits its Master's warm alto voice,^[53] carries a taste for fine wine and songs,^[54] and is perhaps the most genial of all the Sackses.^[55]
Day three brings the Noman of Mr Stones, who demands only diamonds; no other gift will satisfy it.^[56]
There is no visitor on the fourth day, and Mr Mirrors' Noman appears on the fifth. It cryptically insinuates that the first two Sacks (Spices and Wines) sought to rule dreams, whereas it merely reflects them.^[57] It shows a particular fondness for mirror-dreams^[58] and hints that “Cups” is one of its names, alluding to the connection between Mr Mirrors and Mr Cups.^[59]
Mr Pages' Noman arrives with an evident love of the written word and a penchant for coining new terms; neologisms spill from its lips as readily as requests for parchment.^[60]
Day seven’s visitor is the Noman of Mr Fires; its focus is unmistakably London-centric, a testament to its Original’s love for the city.^[61]
On the eighth day, Silas the Showman makes the rounds disguised as the Crimson Beast of Winter. The only human to play the role of Sacks, he has fallen upon hard times, and uses the role as an extra source of income.^[62]
The ninth Noman is different from the rest; draped in a white robe trimmed with red fox-fur, it delivers sinister gifts rather than taking them.^[63] This Sacks is a surviving remnant of Mr Eaten.^[64]
The tenth day’s Mr Sacks is the Noman of Mr Veils.^[65]
The penultimate Sacks is Mr Iron's Noman, which communicates through writing^[66] and shows an affinity with initiates of Knife-and-Candle.^[67]
Finally, the disintegrating figure on the twelfth day is the Noman of Mr Cups, with its sack full of junk.^[68]

References[edit]

↑ Day 1: A Peevish Visit from Mr Sacks?, Fallen London
↑ Day 1: A Peevish Visit from Mr Sacks?, Fallen London "A knock on your door. A hunched figure. Every year, this Crimson Beast of Winter brings his terrible sack, demanding gifts to fill the void. [...]"
↑ A Dream of Christmas, Sunless Sea
↑ A Visit from Mr Sacks, Sunless Sea "[...] Its fur-trimmed robe is the red of blood on snow. Over your chair hangs a familiar brown sack, bulging with offerings. Londoners give generously to the Crimson Beast of Winter. Anything to be rid of it. The figure stares into the fireplace, smelling of soft musk and harsh ammonia. [...]"
↑ ^5.0 ^5.1 A visit from Mr Sacks, Fallen London "A knock on your door. A hunched figure. A gravelly voice. Ho ho ho. Mr Sacks is the only one of the Masters whose voice isn't shrill. It's brought its sack for you to fill. What are you going to put in it?"
↑ Mr Sacks stalks the streets of Fallen London, Fallen London "It's begun to make its rounds… and if you catch it before it arrives, it will allow you to take a gift from its sack. On the condition it is for someone else."
↑ Mr Sacks! Take my best regards., Sunless Sea "An old Londoners' trick. It can work... once."
↑ 'Mr Sacks! Take my best regards!', Fallen London "The traditional response from those who wish to keep their possessions. Mr Sacks may be disappointed, but you'll suffer no harm."
↑ 'Mr Sacks! Take these wicked words!', Fallen London "Into the sack go the reams of paper in sinister black and surly white. Into the sack go the wicked things they're saying about you. Mr Sacks draws the neck tight. Happy Christmas."
↑ 'Mr Sacks! Take this hat full of horrible dreams!', Fallen London "Into the sack goes the hat boiling with sadness. Mr Sacks ties the mouth closed and lurches out into the dark. Happy Christmas."
↑ 'Mr Sacks! Take the sound of my footsteps!', Fallen London "The footsteps vanish into the sack like a burglar up a chimney. You'll step more quietly, at least until the Neath-snows melt."
↑ 'Mr Sacks! Take these festering wounds!', Fallen London "Mr Sacks eagerly collects the souls in their little bottles, and with them your wounds. Its sack clinks as it heaves it onto its shoulder. 'The Boatman will forget about you,' it growls. 'For the moment.' Happy Christmas." [Option retired, apparently not documented on the wiki.]
↑ The First Delivery, Sunless Sea “A fool sought a name that devours. It devoured him. A lifetime's wealth, wasted on cravings that can never be satiated. When all was eaten, he stripped the meat from his fingers in search of solace. Still the hunger gnawed and screamed in his belly. He thought this pitiful offering of poison might free him. Debts are not so easily paid.”
↑ The Third Delivery, Sunless Sea "Mr Sacks is staring at a small wooden box as you enter the hold. Inside, wrapped in a few pitiful scraps of velvet, is a lock of blonde hair and a set of teeth. Carefully polished. Barely used. “The winter was harsh. The fire went cold. Later, the mother wished to forget. A convenient tragedy.”"
↑ The Second Delivery, Sunless Sea "Mr Sacks produces a jewelled bird. “The thief thought it would bring her riches. Perhaps it would. But when the Gracious Widow and the Cheery Man both covet what you stole, mere money ceases to be of concern. To offend one or make an enemy of the other? She sought a third way. [...] We want no part in this feud. Settle it.”"
↑ 'Mr Sacks! Take me!', Fallen London "Mr Sacks stuffs you face-first into its sack and ties it closed behind you. You are, as someone once said, in the dark. There is the possibility of a grue."
↑ Open a tiny, angular package, Fallen London "[...] The moment you pull the wrappings away, you regret it. Brilliant light shreds the darkness. Suns roar. The night screams in horror. Vast things clot and scuttle at the corners of your vision, things like spiders spawned in searing light... you claw at your eyes! And you wake on the floor of your lodgings, still screaming. For weeks your vision will be filled with ghostly lights and flitting scraps of fiery script."
↑ Open a package that might be a rolled-up carpet, Fallen London "[...] You stagger back into the darkness to escape her wrath and trip over something that twangs like a harp. You fall with a bump on the floor of your lodgings. The sack, and your stentorian Nemesis, are gone."
↑ Open a pyramidal package, Fallen London "It's heavy. Its surface is rough, like old brick. It's a memory of a terrible passion. An agony of unrequited love. Whoever felt this spoke a language you don't know; the feelings aren't tempered by names or rational argument."
↑ Open a squirming package, Fallen London "The package writhes in your hands. Rats? Bats? A cat? Actually, it's a nest of snakes, each one a memory of a nightmare. They hiss as they coil around and around each other. One circles your wrist, and the others follow, swarming all over you, hissing the nightmares into your ears and mouth. Fangs strike. Venoms flow into your bloodstream."
↑ Open a package that might be a rolled-up carpet, Fallen London "[...] The wrappings come loose with a flap like a tent in a high wind, and suddenly there's an indignant female voice in your ear: a woman of considerable age, experience and breadth of vocabulary. [...] You stagger back into the darkness to escape her wrath and trip over something that twangs like a harp. You fall with a bump on the floor of your lodgings. The sack, and your stentorian Nemesis, are gone."
↑ Mr Sacks! Take... me., Sunless Sea "The Beast's hunger knows no end. It opens the sack wide and you let it take you. Far away, desperate voices try in vain to wake their sleeping Captain. Soon, they fade, leaving only the silence of the sack."
↑ 'Mr Sacks! Take this wretched child away!', Fallen London "They shake on it, and the Urchin skips out to join the rest, sparing you a single poisonous glance. Mr Sacks shakes his great head. 'I learnt a long time ago,' he growls, 'never to cross an urchin.' He flips a single silver coin to you on his way out."
↑ 'Mr Sacks! Take this wretched child away!', Fallen London "Mr Sacks catches the flying urchin with one gloved... fist? talon? tentacle? 'Well, boy,' he booms. 'Do you want to go in the sack? Or do you want to come with me? All the wine you can drink. All the snow you can eat. All the presents in my sack, for as long as you remain a child.'"
↑ Chat with the urchins who attend Mr Sacks, Fallen London "It's said they made a pact with him: each winter they put the last year of their lives into his sack, and so never grow up. Can it be true?"
↑ Chat with the urchins who attend Mr Sacks, Fallen London "They confirm the story, and a dozen more besides" "Did you know the Cantigaster is the first Sorrow-Spider? [...] That the Gracious Widow had an affair with the Empress' Consort? [...] Hang on. Is that urchin sniggering?"
↑ Chat with the urchins who attend Mr Sacks, Fallen London "The urchins evade the question, but they do it by distracting you with a half-dozen other delicious tidbits. Some of the secrets they share are old. 'Older than the fifth city' old."
↑ Brave the sack; pull out a present for a friend, Fallen London "[...] The urchin races off to deliver your present as Mr Sacks, its breath rancid with suet, whispers something in your ear. [...]"
↑ Chat with the urchins who attend Mr Sacks, Fallen London "O the things these urchins know. The black things and the shining things. The stories of distant sun and terrible moon. The hints and snippets of Fluke-lore and Master-gossip and how the Bazaar came by its scars..."
↑ Lurk. See who's dipping into the sack..., Fallen London "'Spies' eyes go in the sack!' its urchins crow as it lumbers after you. All night it pursues you through the ravelled alleys. Every time you think you've got away, you hear that sound behind you; that terrible sound. 'Ho ho ho.'"
↑ Lurk. See who's dipping into the sack..., Fallen London "You sneak up behind Mr Sacks and make a grab for the bag. But your fingers barely touch it before the red-robed figure rounds on you, quick as a cat. 'Well, well, well,' it rumbles. 'You seem very keen on our sack. Very well.' It pulls out a little pinch of mingled horrors and flings them at you."
↑ The Mysteries Revealed, Again, Failbetter Games "Who was the first noman?" "Mr Sacks (or, ho ho, Shacksh)"
↑ Mr Sacks, Fallen London "You inch forward, until you reach the end of the tunnel. Beyond, a crowd of faces, smiling to greet you. But the faces bob and roil in a vast sea of lacre. They shift, disintegrate, commingle; some are human, some are entirely not; but the smiles remain. Just below you, there is a ripple. A man rises from the lacre, fully formed from the snow: improbably tall and impossibly handsome, like Michaelangelo's David come to life. And as it reaches you, it plunges a hand into its chest and removes a small burlap sack; it drops it into your hand, and melts entirely into a perfectly formed puddle at your feet."
↑ Service at Avid Horizon, Sunless Sea "As soon as you dock, Mr Sacks lumbers ashore. It has been preparing for this. Plunging a hand into its cloak, it removes a handful of ammonia-scented snow. It places it on the ground and adds another on the top. Into this one it presses the teeth and the hair from the small box. Potential. Substance. Only one thing needs to be added, as in the tales of the Nomen. The Crimson Beast of Winter waits impatiently for you to provide it."
↑ Give your blood, Sunless Sea "Mr Sacks stares down at the creature, which shivers and hugs itself. "Inadequate," Sacks says. "Again." Striding to the sealed gate, it rests a gloved hand against it, basking in the chill."
↑ Hear him out, Sunless Sea “My gracious employer has grave concerns about your guest down in the hold, Captain, and the course to which you are now committed. Blood will spill before this voyage is over, but it needn't be yours.” Jervaise produces a small vial. Crystal. The blood is red; redder than normal blood, almost glowing with vitality. “Here is a more bitter vintage. When the time comes, I urge you to choose wisely. A favour from on high is rarely a poor investment.”
↑ Day 4: What's the angle?, Fallen London
↑ Mr...Sacks?, Fallen London "Your voice sounds different..."
↑ Mr Sacks! Take this pail of... snow?, Fallen London ""The lacre is of the quality I might have expected. Yes, indeed. Not generous, but sufficient." It snares it with a sweep of its cloak, and departs. What's this it's left behind? Since when does Mr Sacks leave gifts?"
↑ Day 2: A Genial Visit from Mr Sacks?, Fallen London "Again? Mr Sacks, like Christmas, used to come but once a year. It's true, then. Something has changed at the heart of the Bazaar."
↑ ^41.0 ^41.1 Mr Sacks! Are there... many of you?, Fallen London "Traditions sometimes change. Sometimes, they change back. You must take us as we come: us, and our Originals. Now. Where's my gift?"
↑ Love is sacrifice, Fallen London "Self-love? Not exactly, I suppose. I wonder if the Masters love their lacre-selves. The relationship is, I understand, a little like parenthood, but not very. I must commend you: although I am not overly fond of lacre."
↑ Now this is what you've been waiting for, Fallen London "...agendas fundamentally influenced by the Masters whose shapes they take, but in some cases orthogonal or even opposed. The relevance of chess-men remains unclear at this point..."
↑ Now this is what you've been waiting for, Fallen London "...that at Christmas, the Bazaar may simply be lonely. But this was universally condemned as 'absurd'."
↑ Wish him a merry Christmas, Fallen London "The lacre's always thick, this time of year. She feels her loneliness, I think." He sighs, and pats the wall fondly. "But it's rare for the nomen to rise. And this year and the last, they've been rising like dough. What will come, eh? What will come."
↑ Mr...Sacks?, Fallen London "No, indeed! This year, the duties are more onerous, with the surging of the lacre. We all have our parts to play. Or parts of us do, ha ha! Which reminds me. Back soon—"
↑ Mr Sacks! Take this tale of romantic misery!, Fallen London "Ah no, ah no. At any other time, it would be welcome indeed! But not in the deep of winter when the lacre surges from its reservoirs... and when certain other matters occur below. But be not afraid! We have everything in hand. Keep your story, and keep your emotions well-reigned. Good night!"
↑ Putting the Pieces Together: the Taste of Lacre, Fallen London "Stone-Pigs cannot be drowned in lacre. They only slumber."
↑ Mr Sacks! Would you care for a little of the '68? 2, Fallen London "'Mr Sacks' sweeps the wine into the abyssal folds of its crimson robe. "How pleasant," it says, "to see the old traditions so faithfully observed! My best regards to you. And my advice! Should there be... tremors... remain of good cheer. The situation is in hand. The pigs sleep on.""
↑ There! This is the one you were waiting for..., Fallen London "We were a week finding the words in the lacre... Listen. These shapes – they rise from the lacre when the Bazaar commands. Some years they serve the Bazaar, some years the Masters... [...]"
↑ Mr Sacks! Would you care for a little of the '68?, Fallen London "It snatches the bottle with ill grace, and deposits a gleaming golden jar on the table. "You'll find this much more to your liking, I think. Why settle for wine when you can have honey?""
↑ Mr Sacks! Would you care for something... spicier than wine?, Fallen London "Its voice is familiar. You have a hunch it might approve of this gift." "I see someone in this city still understands the value of true dreams. Happy Christmas to you."
↑ Day 2: A Genial Visit from Mr Sacks?, Fallen London "A knock on your door. A hunched figure. A rich alto voice: "What do you have for me tonight?""
↑ Mr Sacks! Take this eery air!, Fallen London "It hums and sways as you play. As you conclude, it sighs nostalgically. "I shall sleep well tonight. As, I have faith, shall the pigs below. Trust in wine and slumber, my little friend! Trust, and be well. And now I depart.""
↑ Mr Sacks! Take my best regards!, Fallen London "Of course, of course! I accept them in the spirit in which you conveyed them. Be well. All shall be well, you know. And all manner of thing. That was the promise. How I do prattle on. Sleep well! As will those below."
↑ Day 3: Mr Sacks, in taciturn mood, Fallen London "And again! A knock on the door; a looming shape in white-trimmed red. But this time, Mr Sacks speaks only one word. "Diamonds.""
↑ Day 5: Mr Sacks, purringly, Fallen London Tonight's Mr Sacks anounces itself with a merry triple knock; bows; addresses you as 'my dear'. "Give of your dreams," it says. "You've met the ones who desire to rule dreams. I wish only to reflect them."
↑ Mr Sacks! Take this dream of mirrors!, Fallen London "You little flatterer! Are you flirting with me? You do it rather well. Here. A little Christmas gilt-sparkle for you."
↑ Mr Sacks! Take my ignorance from me. Are you..., Fallen London "Yes, yes. I might be called Cups. Among other things. And I smell Spices here, and Wines, and a certain familiar flintiness. But it's not sporting of you, my dear, to take when you might give. Not sporting at all. And now I shall take myself away. Good night."
↑ Day 6: A concrudescent Mr Sacks, Fallen London "Good evening, citizen! My sack awaits your gifts most perelactally. Today, I am considering literature of many kinds."
↑ Day 7: Mr Sacks, in embered red, Fallen London "Twin red stars glow in the depths of its cowl. There are impossible echoes in the piping voice. But it seems tired. It wants to talk. It wants only one thing from you, an answer: how do you like London in the time of the Bazaar?"
↑ Day 8: Mr Shacksh, Fallen London "[...] Mr Sacks – Silas – is good company, in a braggy sort of way, and before you know it you've opened a second bottle of wine. He seems philosophical about the failure of his ploy. "Hard timesh," he explains owlishly. "This damnable lacre is doing nothing for ticket sales at Mahogany Hall. My tailor and vintner have grown impatient. And I thought I'd take advantage of these damnable shnowmen..." [...]"
↑ Day 9: At your window, Fallen London "That night as you sleep, Mr Sacks crouches on your window-sill. Its robe is the colour of salt, and its hood is trimmed with red fox-fur. I have brought you gifts, it whispers."
↑ Accept the Name!, Fallen London "The light on the edge of sleep was mine. I was Mr Candles. I will not be again."
↑ Day 10: Down the chimney!, Fallen London "[...] this one served a power that consumes. The worst that walks the roof-tops... but these matters aren't for grown-up ears. Don't worry. The Masters won't mourn it. No one will come for you. We'll sift its lacrous flesh for secrets. We'll find a weakness. The choir will go free."
↑ Day 11: Mr Sacks, mutely, Fallen London "Mr Sacks looms like a clock-tower. Mr Sacks holds up a card, which reads: HO HO HO. Mr Sacks holds up a second card, which reads: COME WITH ME."
↑ Refuse to go, but offer it a knife, and a candle, Fallen London "It turns away from you for a moment; turns back, nods again as if to say, that's satisfactory, and hands you an oddly assorted sheaf of documents. On the top leaf it has printed the words WHAT WE MAY, WE DO."
↑ There! This is the one you were waiting for..., Fallen London "What's all this? Has Mr Sacks been visiting junk-shops? You sort through the contents as the white-and-crimson thing flops on the ground beside you."

[1] Day 1: A Peevish Visit from Mr Sacks?, Fallen London

[2] Day 1: A Peevish Visit from Mr Sacks?, Fallen London "A knock on your door. A hunched figure. Every year, this Crimson Beast of Winter brings his terrible sack, demanding gifts to fill the void. [...]"

[3] A Dream of Christmas, Sunless Sea

[4] A Visit from Mr Sacks, Sunless Sea "[...] Its fur-trimmed robe is the red of blood on snow. Over your chair hangs a familiar brown sack, bulging with offerings. Londoners give generously to the Crimson Beast of Winter. Anything to be rid of it. The figure stares into the fireplace, smelling of soft musk and harsh ammonia. [...]"

[:0-5] 5.0 ^5.1 A visit from Mr Sacks, Fallen London "A knock on your door. A hunched figure. A gravelly voice. Ho ho ho. Mr Sacks is the only one of the Masters whose voice isn't shrill. It's brought its sack for you to fill. What are you going to put in it?"

[6] Mr Sacks stalks the streets of Fallen London, Fallen London "It's begun to make its rounds… and if you catch it before it arrives, it will allow you to take a gift from its sack. On the condition it is for someone else."

[7] Mr Sacks! Take my best regards., Sunless Sea "An old Londoners' trick. It can work... once."

[8] 'Mr Sacks! Take my best regards!', Fallen London "The traditional response from those who wish to keep their possessions. Mr Sacks may be disappointed, but you'll suffer no harm."

[9] 'Mr Sacks! Take these wicked words!', Fallen London "Into the sack go the reams of paper in sinister black and surly white. Into the sack go the wicked things they're saying about you. Mr Sacks draws the neck tight. Happy Christmas."

[10] 'Mr Sacks! Take this hat full of horrible dreams!', Fallen London "Into the sack goes the hat boiling with sadness. Mr Sacks ties the mouth closed and lurches out into the dark. Happy Christmas."

[11] 'Mr Sacks! Take the sound of my footsteps!', Fallen London "The footsteps vanish into the sack like a burglar up a chimney. You'll step more quietly, at least until the Neath-snows melt."

[12] 'Mr Sacks! Take these festering wounds!', Fallen London "Mr Sacks eagerly collects the souls in their little bottles, and with them your wounds. Its sack clinks as it heaves it onto its shoulder. 'The Boatman will forget about you,' it growls. 'For the moment.' Happy Christmas." [Option retired, apparently not documented on the wiki.]

[13] The First Delivery, Sunless Sea “A fool sought a name that devours. It devoured him. A lifetime's wealth, wasted on cravings that can never be satiated. When all was eaten, he stripped the meat from his fingers in search of solace. Still the hunger gnawed and screamed in his belly. He thought this pitiful offering of poison might free him. Debts are not so easily paid.”

[14] The Third Delivery, Sunless Sea "Mr Sacks is staring at a small wooden box as you enter the hold. Inside, wrapped in a few pitiful scraps of velvet, is a lock of blonde hair and a set of teeth. Carefully polished. Barely used. “The winter was harsh. The fire went cold. Later, the mother wished to forget. A convenient tragedy.”"

[15] The Second Delivery, Sunless Sea "Mr Sacks produces a jewelled bird. “The thief thought it would bring her riches. Perhaps it would. But when the Gracious Widow and the Cheery Man both covet what you stole, mere money ceases to be of concern. To offend one or make an enemy of the other? She sought a third way. [...] We want no part in this feud. Settle it.”"

[16] 'Mr Sacks! Take me!', Fallen London "Mr Sacks stuffs you face-first into its sack and ties it closed behind you. You are, as someone once said, in the dark. There is the possibility of a grue."

[17] Open a tiny, angular package, Fallen London "[...] The moment you pull the wrappings away, you regret it. Brilliant light shreds the darkness. Suns roar. The night screams in horror. Vast things clot and scuttle at the corners of your vision, things like spiders spawned in searing light... you claw at your eyes! And you wake on the floor of your lodgings, still screaming. For weeks your vision will be filled with ghostly lights and flitting scraps of fiery script."

[18] Open a package that might be a rolled-up carpet, Fallen London "[...] You stagger back into the darkness to escape her wrath and trip over something that twangs like a harp. You fall with a bump on the floor of your lodgings. The sack, and your stentorian Nemesis, are gone."

[19] Open a pyramidal package, Fallen London "It's heavy. Its surface is rough, like old brick. It's a memory of a terrible passion. An agony of unrequited love. Whoever felt this spoke a language you don't know; the feelings aren't tempered by names or rational argument."

[20] Open a squirming package, Fallen London "The package writhes in your hands. Rats? Bats? A cat? Actually, it's a nest of snakes, each one a memory of a nightmare. They hiss as they coil around and around each other. One circles your wrist, and the others follow, swarming all over you, hissing the nightmares into your ears and mouth. Fangs strike. Venoms flow into your bloodstream."

[21] Open a package that might be a rolled-up carpet, Fallen London "[...] The wrappings come loose with a flap like a tent in a high wind, and suddenly there's an indignant female voice in your ear: a woman of considerable age, experience and breadth of vocabulary. [...] You stagger back into the darkness to escape her wrath and trip over something that twangs like a harp. You fall with a bump on the floor of your lodgings. The sack, and your stentorian Nemesis, are gone."

[22] Mr Sacks! Take... me., Sunless Sea "The Beast's hunger knows no end. It opens the sack wide and you let it take you. Far away, desperate voices try in vain to wake their sleeping Captain. Soon, they fade, leaving only the silence of the sack."

[23] 'Mr Sacks! Take this wretched child away!', Fallen London "They shake on it, and the Urchin skips out to join the rest, sparing you a single poisonous glance. Mr Sacks shakes his great head. 'I learnt a long time ago,' he growls, 'never to cross an urchin.' He flips a single silver coin to you on his way out."

[24] 'Mr Sacks! Take this wretched child away!', Fallen London "Mr Sacks catches the flying urchin with one gloved... fist? talon? tentacle? 'Well, boy,' he booms. 'Do you want to go in the sack? Or do you want to come with me? All the wine you can drink. All the snow you can eat. All the presents in my sack, for as long as you remain a child.'"

[25] Chat with the urchins who attend Mr Sacks, Fallen London "It's said they made a pact with him: each winter they put the last year of their lives into his sack, and so never grow up. Can it be true?"

[26] Chat with the urchins who attend Mr Sacks, Fallen London "They confirm the story, and a dozen more besides" "Did you know the Cantigaster is the first Sorrow-Spider? [...] That the Gracious Widow had an affair with the Empress' Consort? [...] Hang on. Is that urchin sniggering?"

[27] Chat with the urchins who attend Mr Sacks, Fallen London "The urchins evade the question, but they do it by distracting you with a half-dozen other delicious tidbits. Some of the secrets they share are old. 'Older than the fifth city' old."

[28] Brave the sack; pull out a present for a friend, Fallen London "[...] The urchin races off to deliver your present as Mr Sacks, its breath rancid with suet, whispers something in your ear. [...]"

[29] Chat with the urchins who attend Mr Sacks, Fallen London "O the things these urchins know. The black things and the shining things. The stories of distant sun and terrible moon. The hints and snippets of Fluke-lore and Master-gossip and how the Bazaar came by its scars..."

[30] Lurk. See who's dipping into the sack..., Fallen London "'Spies' eyes go in the sack!' its urchins crow as it lumbers after you. All night it pursues you through the ravelled alleys. Every time you think you've got away, you hear that sound behind you; that terrible sound. 'Ho ho ho.'"

[31] Lurk. See who's dipping into the sack..., Fallen London "You sneak up behind Mr Sacks and make a grab for the bag. But your fingers barely touch it before the red-robed figure rounds on you, quick as a cat. 'Well, well, well,' it rumbles. 'You seem very keen on our sack. Very well.' It pulls out a little pinch of mingled horrors and flings them at you."

[32] The Mysteries Revealed, Again, Failbetter Games "Who was the first noman?" "Mr Sacks (or, ho ho, Shacksh)"

[33] Mr Sacks, Fallen London "You inch forward, until you reach the end of the tunnel. Beyond, a crowd of faces, smiling to greet you. But the faces bob and roil in a vast sea of lacre. They shift, disintegrate, commingle; some are human, some are entirely not; but the smiles remain. Just below you, there is a ripple. A man rises from the lacre, fully formed from the snow: improbably tall and impossibly handsome, like Michaelangelo's David come to life. And as it reaches you, it plunges a hand into its chest and removes a small burlap sack; it drops it into your hand, and melts entirely into a perfectly formed puddle at your feet."

[34] Service at Avid Horizon, Sunless Sea "As soon as you dock, Mr Sacks lumbers ashore. It has been preparing for this. Plunging a hand into its cloak, it removes a handful of ammonia-scented snow. It places it on the ground and adds another on the top. Into this one it presses the teeth and the hair from the small box. Potential. Substance. Only one thing needs to be added, as in the tales of the Nomen. The Crimson Beast of Winter waits impatiently for you to provide it."

[35] Give your blood, Sunless Sea "Mr Sacks stares down at the creature, which shivers and hugs itself. "Inadequate," Sacks says. "Again." Striding to the sealed gate, it rests a gloved hand against it, basking in the chill."

[36] Hear him out, Sunless Sea “My gracious employer has grave concerns about your guest down in the hold, Captain, and the course to which you are now committed. Blood will spill before this voyage is over, but it needn't be yours.” Jervaise produces a small vial. Crystal. The blood is red; redder than normal blood, almost glowing with vitality. “Here is a more bitter vintage. When the time comes, I urge you to choose wisely. A favour from on high is rarely a poor investment.”

[37] Day 4: What's the angle?, Fallen London

[38] Mr...Sacks?, Fallen London "Your voice sounds different..."

[39] Mr Sacks! Take this pail of... snow?, Fallen London ""The lacre is of the quality I might have expected. Yes, indeed. Not generous, but sufficient." It snares it with a sweep of its cloak, and departs. What's this it's left behind? Since when does Mr Sacks leave gifts?"

[40] Day 2: A Genial Visit from Mr Sacks?, Fallen London "Again? Mr Sacks, like Christmas, used to come but once a year. It's true, then. Something has changed at the heart of the Bazaar."

[:1-41] 41.0 ^41.1 Mr Sacks! Are there... many of you?, Fallen London "Traditions sometimes change. Sometimes, they change back. You must take us as we come: us, and our Originals. Now. Where's my gift?"

[42] Love is sacrifice, Fallen London "Self-love? Not exactly, I suppose. I wonder if the Masters love their lacre-selves. The relationship is, I understand, a little like parenthood, but not very. I must commend you: although I am not overly fond of lacre."

[43] Now this is what you've been waiting for, Fallen London "...agendas fundamentally influenced by the Masters whose shapes they take, but in some cases orthogonal or even opposed. The relevance of chess-men remains unclear at this point..."

[44] Now this is what you've been waiting for, Fallen London "...that at Christmas, the Bazaar may simply be lonely. But this was universally condemned as 'absurd'."

[45] Wish him a merry Christmas, Fallen London "The lacre's always thick, this time of year. She feels her loneliness, I think." He sighs, and pats the wall fondly. "But it's rare for the nomen to rise. And this year and the last, they've been rising like dough. What will come, eh? What will come."

[46] Mr...Sacks?, Fallen London "No, indeed! This year, the duties are more onerous, with the surging of the lacre. We all have our parts to play. Or parts of us do, ha ha! Which reminds me. Back soon—"

[47] Mr Sacks! Take this tale of romantic misery!, Fallen London "Ah no, ah no. At any other time, it would be welcome indeed! But not in the deep of winter when the lacre surges from its reservoirs... and when certain other matters occur below. But be not afraid! We have everything in hand. Keep your story, and keep your emotions well-reigned. Good night!"

[48] Putting the Pieces Together: the Taste of Lacre, Fallen London "Stone-Pigs cannot be drowned in lacre. They only slumber."

[49] Mr Sacks! Would you care for a little of the '68? 2, Fallen London "'Mr Sacks' sweeps the wine into the abyssal folds of its crimson robe. "How pleasant," it says, "to see the old traditions so faithfully observed! My best regards to you. And my advice! Should there be... tremors... remain of good cheer. The situation is in hand. The pigs sleep on.""

[50] There! This is the one you were waiting for..., Fallen London "We were a week finding the words in the lacre... Listen. These shapes – they rise from the lacre when the Bazaar commands. Some years they serve the Bazaar, some years the Masters... [...]"

[51] Mr Sacks! Would you care for a little of the '68?, Fallen London "It snatches the bottle with ill grace, and deposits a gleaming golden jar on the table. "You'll find this much more to your liking, I think. Why settle for wine when you can have honey?""

[52] Mr Sacks! Would you care for something... spicier than wine?, Fallen London "Its voice is familiar. You have a hunch it might approve of this gift." "I see someone in this city still understands the value of true dreams. Happy Christmas to you."

[53] Day 2: A Genial Visit from Mr Sacks?, Fallen London "A knock on your door. A hunched figure. A rich alto voice: "What do you have for me tonight?""

[54] Mr Sacks! Take this eery air!, Fallen London "It hums and sways as you play. As you conclude, it sighs nostalgically. "I shall sleep well tonight. As, I have faith, shall the pigs below. Trust in wine and slumber, my little friend! Trust, and be well. And now I depart.""

[55] Mr Sacks! Take my best regards!, Fallen London "Of course, of course! I accept them in the spirit in which you conveyed them. Be well. All shall be well, you know. And all manner of thing. That was the promise. How I do prattle on. Sleep well! As will those below."

[56] Day 3: Mr Sacks, in taciturn mood, Fallen London "And again! A knock on the door; a looming shape in white-trimmed red. But this time, Mr Sacks speaks only one word. "Diamonds.""

[57] Day 5: Mr Sacks, purringly, Fallen London Tonight's Mr Sacks anounces itself with a merry triple knock; bows; addresses you as 'my dear'. "Give of your dreams," it says. "You've met the ones who desire to rule dreams. I wish only to reflect them."

[58] Mr Sacks! Take this dream of mirrors!, Fallen London "You little flatterer! Are you flirting with me? You do it rather well. Here. A little Christmas gilt-sparkle for you."

[59] Mr Sacks! Take my ignorance from me. Are you..., Fallen London "Yes, yes. I might be called Cups. Among other things. And I smell Spices here, and Wines, and a certain familiar flintiness. But it's not sporting of you, my dear, to take when you might give. Not sporting at all. And now I shall take myself away. Good night."

[60] Day 6: A concrudescent Mr Sacks, Fallen London "Good evening, citizen! My sack awaits your gifts most perelactally. Today, I am considering literature of many kinds."

[61] Day 7: Mr Sacks, in embered red, Fallen London "Twin red stars glow in the depths of its cowl. There are impossible echoes in the piping voice. But it seems tired. It wants to talk. It wants only one thing from you, an answer: how do you like London in the time of the Bazaar?"

[62] Day 8: Mr Shacksh, Fallen London "[...] Mr Sacks – Silas – is good company, in a braggy sort of way, and before you know it you've opened a second bottle of wine. He seems philosophical about the failure of his ploy. "Hard timesh," he explains owlishly. "This damnable lacre is doing nothing for ticket sales at Mahogany Hall. My tailor and vintner have grown impatient. And I thought I'd take advantage of these damnable shnowmen..." [...]"

[63] Day 9: At your window, Fallen London "That night as you sleep, Mr Sacks crouches on your window-sill. Its robe is the colour of salt, and its hood is trimmed with red fox-fur. I have brought you gifts, it whispers."

[64] Accept the Name!, Fallen London "The light on the edge of sleep was mine. I was Mr Candles. I will not be again."

[65] Day 10: Down the chimney!, Fallen London "[...] this one served a power that consumes. The worst that walks the roof-tops... but these matters aren't for grown-up ears. Don't worry. The Masters won't mourn it. No one will come for you. We'll sift its lacrous flesh for secrets. We'll find a weakness. The choir will go free."

[66] Day 11: Mr Sacks, mutely, Fallen London "Mr Sacks looms like a clock-tower. Mr Sacks holds up a card, which reads: HO HO HO. Mr Sacks holds up a second card, which reads: COME WITH ME."

[67] Refuse to go, but offer it a knife, and a candle, Fallen London "It turns away from you for a moment; turns back, nods again as if to say, that's satisfactory, and hands you an oddly assorted sheaf of documents. On the top leaf it has printed the words WHAT WE MAY, WE DO."

[68] There! This is the one you were waiting for..., Fallen London "What's all this? Has Mr Sacks been visiting junk-shops? You sort through the contents as the white-and-crimson thing flops on the ground beside you."

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]

[19]

[20]

[21]

[22]

[23]

[24]

[25]

[26]

[27]

[28]

[29]

[30]

[31]

[32]

[33]

[34]

[35]

[36]

[37]

[38]

[39]

[40]

[41]

[42]

[43]

[44]

[45]

[46]

[47]

[48]

[49]

[50]

[51]

[52]

[53]

[54]

[55]

[56]

[57]

[58]

[59]

[60]

[61]

[62]

[63]

[64]

[65]

[66]

[67]

[68]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{Uncited}}{{Character
+{{Character
-|title1 =
+|image1 = <gallery>
-|image1 = Mistersacks.png
+Sackscard.jpg|Greeting Card
+Candles Sacks.gif|At Your Window
+Mistersacks.png|Fallen London
+SS sacksgaz.png|Sunless Sea
+</gallery>
 |caption1 = HO HO HO
-|location = [[Fallen London]]
+|location = [[London]]
-|alias =
+|alias = The Crimson Beast of Winter
-|relationships = |allegiance=[[The Masters of the Bazaar]]<br>[[The Echo Bazaar]]}}''"A knock on your door. A hunched figure. Every year, this Crimson Beast of Winter brings his terrible sack, demanding gifts to fill the void. And now you hear a high-pitched, faintly peevish voice: 'What will you put in my sack?'"''
+|allegiance=[[The Masters of the Bazaar]]<br>[[The Echo Bazaar]]
+}}<blockquote>''"A knock on your door. A hunched figure. Every year, this Crimson Beast of Winter brings his terrible sack, demanding gifts to fill the void. And now you hear a high-pitched, faintly peevish voice: 'What will you put in my sack?'"''<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Day_1:_A_Peevish_Visit_from_Mr_Sacks%3F|Day 1: A Peevish Visit from Mr Sacks?|Fallen London|}}</ref></blockquote>'''Mr Sacks''' appears during Fallen London's demented version of [[Christmas]], known colloquially as Sacksmas. The creature is also known as the '''Crimson Beast of Winter'''.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Day_1:_A_Peevish_Visit_from_Mr_Sacks%3F|Day 1: A Peevish Visit from Mr Sacks?|Fallen London|}}''"A knock on your door. A hunched figure. Every year, this Crimson Beast of Winter brings his terrible sack, demanding gifts to fill the void. [...]"''</ref>
-'''Mr Sacks''' appears during the eponymous '''12 Days of Mr Sacks''', a rather demented version of Christmas. It is also known as '''the Crimson Beast of Winter'''. 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.
+== Sacks of Yore ==
+<blockquote>''"The Crimson Beast of Winter towers above you on the snow-drowned street, its sack open wide to receive your offering. "I WILL TAKE ALL YOU CAN GIVE. I WILL TAKE EVERYTHING YOU HAVE. I WILL TAKE MORE.""<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/A_Dream_of_Christmas|A Dream of Christmas|Sunless Sea|}}</ref>''</blockquote>Mr Sacks wore a red robe trimmed with white fur that smelled of musk and ammonia.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/A_Visit_from_Mr_Sacks|A Visit from Mr Sacks|Sunless Sea|}}''"[...] Its fur-trimmed robe is the red of blood on snow. Over your chair hangs a familiar brown sack, bulging with offerings. Londoners give generously to the Crimson Beast of Winter. Anything to be rid of it. The figure stares into the fireplace, smelling of soft musk and harsh ammonia. [...]"''</ref> It was considered one of the [[The Masters of the Bazaar|Masters of the Bazaar]], though unlike the others, it did not speak in a shrill voice. Instead, it was noted for its gravelly tone.<ref name=":0">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/A_visit_from_Mr_Sacks|A visit from Mr Sacks|Fallen London|}}''"A knock on your door. A hunched figure. A gravelly voice. Ho ho ho. Mr Sacks is the only one of the Masters whose voice isn't shrill. It's brought its sack for you to fill. What are you going to put in it?"''</ref>
-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.
+During the Sacksmas season, in a departure from [[The Surface|Surface]] Christmas traditions, people were expected to give gifts to Mr Sacks rather than receive them.<ref name=":0" /> It only allowed people to take a gift from its sack if the item was intended for someone else.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Mr_Sacks_stalks_the_streets_of_Fallen_London|Mr Sacks stalks the streets of Fallen London|Fallen London|}}''"It's begun to make its rounds… and if you catch it before it arrives, it will allow you to take a gift from its sack. On the condition it is for someone else."''</ref> However, those who wished to keep their valuables could offer their “best regards” instead (but only once,<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/A_Dream_of_Christmas|Mr Sacks! Take my best regards.|Sunless Sea|}}''"An old Londoners' trick. It can work... once."''</ref> as this would upset Sacks).<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/%27Mr_Sacks!_Take_my_best_regards!%27|'Mr Sacks! Take my best regards!'|Fallen London|}}''"The traditional response from those who wish to keep their possessions. Mr Sacks may be disappointed, but you'll suffer no harm."''</ref> Metaphysical goods counted as gifts as well,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Mr_Sacks!_Take_these_wicked_words!|'Mr Sacks! Take these wicked words!'|Fallen London|}}''"Into the sack go the reams of paper in sinister black and surly white. Into the sack go the wicked things they're saying about you. Mr Sacks draws the neck tight. Happy Christmas."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/%27Mr_Sacks!_Take_this_hat_full_of_horrible_dreams!%27|'Mr Sacks! Take this hat full of horrible dreams!'|Fallen London|}}''"Into the sack goes the hat boiling with sadness. Mr Sacks ties the mouth closed and lurches out into the dark. Happy Christmas."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/%27Mr_Sacks!_Take_the_sound_of_my_footsteps!%27|'Mr Sacks! Take the sound of my footsteps!'|Fallen London|}}''"The footsteps vanish into the sack like a burglar up a chimney. You'll step more quietly, at least until the Neath-snows melt."''</ref> and Sacks could heal wounds by "taking" them.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/A_visit_from_Mr_Sacks|'Mr Sacks! Take these festering wounds!'|Fallen London|}}''"Mr Sacks eagerly collects the souls in their little bottles, and with them your wounds. Its sack clinks as it heaves it onto its shoulder. 'The Boatman will forget about you,' it growls. 'For the moment.' Happy Christmas." [Option retired, apparently not documented on the wiki.]''</ref> Some Londoners exploited this to give Mr Sacks their painful memories, or troublesome objects or emotions,<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/In_the_Service_of_Mr_Sacks|The First Delivery|Sunless Sea|}}''“A fool sought a name that devours. It devoured him. A lifetime's wealth, wasted on cravings that can never be satiated. When all was eaten, he stripped the meat from his fingers in search of solace. Still the hunger gnawed and screamed in his belly. He thought this pitiful offering of poison might free him. Debts are not so easily paid.”''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/In_the_Service_of_Mr_Sacks|The Third Delivery|Sunless Sea|}}''"Mr Sacks is staring at a small wooden box as you enter the hold. Inside, wrapped in a few pitiful scraps of velvet, is a lock of blonde hair and a set of teeth. Carefully polished. Barely used. “The winter was harsh. The fire went cold. Later, the mother wished to forget. A convenient tragedy.”"''</ref> but it simply redistributed them across the [[Neath]].<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/In_the_Service_of_Mr_Sacks|The Second Delivery|Sunless Sea|}}''"Mr Sacks produces a jewelled bird. “The thief thought it would bring her riches. Perhaps it would. But when the Gracious Widow and the Cheery Man both covet what you stole, mere money ceases to be of concern. To offend one or make an enemy of the other? She sought a third way. [...] We want no part in this feud. Settle it.”"''</ref>
-'''UNDER CONSTRUCTION'''
+Most infamously, a person could offer ''themselves'' and happily be stuffed into the Master's sack,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/%27Mr_Sacks!_Take_me!%27|'Mr Sacks! Take me!'|Fallen London|}}''"Mr Sacks stuffs you face-first into its sack and ties it closed behind you. You are, as someone once said, in the dark. There is the possibility of a grue."''</ref> resulting in a deeply unpleasant experience before eventually being returned home.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Open_a_tiny,_angular_package|Open a tiny, angular package|Fallen London|}}''"[...] The moment you pull the wrappings away, you regret it. Brilliant light shreds the darkness. Suns roar. The night screams in horror. Vast things clot and scuttle at the corners of your vision, things like spiders spawned in searing light... you claw at your eyes! And you wake on the floor of your lodgings, still screaming. For weeks your vision will be filled with ghostly lights and flitting scraps of fiery script."''</ref> Survivors have described the interior as, essentially, a Sack of Holding<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Open_a_package_that_might_be_a_rolled-up_carpet|Open a package that might be a rolled-up carpet|Fallen London|}}''"[...] You stagger back into the darkness to escape her wrath and trip over something that twangs like a harp. You fall with a bump on the floor of your lodgings. The sack, and your stentorian Nemesis, are gone."''</ref> to contain all of its gifts.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Open_a_pyramidal_package|Open a pyramidal package|Fallen London|}}''"It's heavy. Its surface is rough, like old brick. It's a memory of a terrible passion. An agony of unrequited love. Whoever felt this spoke a language you don't know; the feelings aren't tempered by names or rational argument."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Open_a_squirming_package|Open a squirming package|Fallen London|}}''"The package writhes in your hands. Rats? Bats? A cat? Actually, it's a nest of snakes, each one a memory of a nightmare. They hiss as they coil around and around each other. One circles your wrist, and the others follow, swarming all over you, hissing the nightmares into your ears and mouth. Fangs strike. Venoms flow into your bloodstream."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Open_a_package_that_might_be_a_rolled-up_carpet|Open a package that might be a rolled-up carpet|Fallen London|}}''"[...] The wrappings come loose with a flap like a tent in a high wind, and suddenly there's an indignant female voice in your ear: a woman of considerable age, experience and breadth of vocabulary. [...] You stagger back into the darkness to escape her wrath and trip over something that twangs like a harp. You fall with a bump on the floor of your lodgings. The sack, and your stentorian Nemesis, are gone."''</ref> Sacks could also appear in dreams; those who offered themselves while dreaming would never wake up again.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/A_Dream_of_Christmas|Mr Sacks! Take... me.|Sunless Sea|}}''"The Beast's hunger knows no end. It opens the sack wide and you let it take you. Far away, desperate voices try in vain to wake their sleeping Captain. Soon, they fade, leaving only the silence of the sack."''</ref>
+Mr Sacks was always accompanied by [[urchins]], who were said to have made a pact with it, and whom it appeared to respect greatly.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/%27Mr_Sacks!_Take_this_wretched_child_away!%27|'Mr Sacks! Take this wretched child away!'|Fallen London|}}''"They shake on it, and the Urchin skips out to join the rest, sparing you a single poisonous glance. Mr Sacks shakes his great head. 'I learnt a long time ago,' he growls, 'never to cross an urchin.' He flips a single silver coin to you on his way out."''</ref> Some of these children were given as gifts at prior Sacksmases.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/%27Mr_Sacks!_Take_this_wretched_child_away!%27|'Mr Sacks! Take this wretched child away!'|Fallen London|}}''"Mr Sacks catches the flying urchin with one gloved... fist? talon? tentacle? 'Well, boy,' he booms. 'Do you want to go in the sack? Or do you want to come with me? All the wine you can drink. All the snow you can eat. All the presents in my sack, for as long as you remain a child.'"''</ref> According to rumor, each winter they placed the last year of their lives into their employer's sack, allowing them to remain children indefinitely.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Chat_with_the_urchins_who_attend_Mr_Sacks|Chat with the urchins who attend Mr Sacks|Fallen London|}}''"It's said they made a pact with him: each winter they put the last year of their lives into his sack, and so never grow up. Can it be true?"''</ref> This claim remained unconfirmed; the urchins either joked about it<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Chat_with_the_urchins_who_attend_Mr_Sacks|Chat with the urchins who attend Mr Sacks|Fallen London|}}''"They confirm the story, and a dozen more besides" "Did you know the Cantigaster is the first Sorrow-Spider? [...] That the Gracious Widow had an affair with the Empress' Consort? [...] Hang on. Is that urchin sniggering?"''</ref> or become evasive when asked.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Chat_with_the_urchins_who_attend_Mr_Sacks|Chat with the urchins who attend Mr Sacks|Fallen London|}}''"The urchins evade the question, but they do it by distracting you with a half-dozen other delicious tidbits. Some of the secrets they share are old. 'Older than the fifth city' old."''</ref> Regardless, they acted as Mr Sacks’s attendants and couriers,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Brave_the_sack;_pull_out_a_present_for_a_friend_(5_FATE)|Brave the sack; pull out a present for a friend|Fallen London|}}''"[...] The urchin races off to deliver your present as Mr Sacks, its breath rancid with suet, whispers something in your ear. [...]"''</ref> and seemed to know secrets no ordinary child should.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Chat_with_the_urchins_who_attend_Mr_Sacks|Chat with the urchins who attend Mr Sacks|Fallen London|}}''"O the things these urchins know. The black things and the shining things. The stories of distant sun and terrible moon. The hints and snippets of Fluke-lore and Master-gossip and how the Bazaar came by its scars..."''</ref> The Master hunted down spies alongside the urchins it employed,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Lurk._See_who%27s_dipping_into_the_sack...|Lurk. See who's dipping into the sack...|Fallen London|}}''"'Spies' eyes go in the sack!' its urchins crow as it lumbers after you. All night it pursues you through the ravelled alleys. Every time you think you've got away, you hear that sound behind you; that terrible sound. 'Ho ho ho.'"''</ref> and attempts to steal its sack were met with punishment.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Lurk._See_who%27s_dipping_into_the_sack...|Lurk. See who's dipping into the sack...|Fallen London|}}''"You sneak up behind Mr Sacks and make a grab for the bag. But your fingers barely touch it before the red-robed figure rounds on you, quick as a cat. 'Well, well, well,' it rumbles. 'You seem very keen on our sack. Very well.' It pulls out a little pinch of mingled horrors and flings them at you."''</ref>
+The original Mr Sacks was the first [[Noman]],<ref>{{Citation|https://www.failbettergames.com/news/the-mysteries-revealed-again|The Mysteries Revealed, Again|Failbetter Games|}}''"Who was the first noman?" "Mr Sacks (or, ho ho, Shacksh)"''</ref> amalgamated from both human and inhuman individuals.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Incarnadine_Fur_Robe|Mr Sacks|Fallen London|}}''"You inch forward, until you reach the end of the tunnel. Beyond, a crowd of faces, smiling to greet you. But the faces bob and roil in a vast sea of lacre. They shift, disintegrate, commingle; some are human, some are entirely not; but the smiles remain. Just below you, there is a ripple. A man rises from the lacre, fully formed from the snow: improbably tall and impossibly handsome, like Michaelangelo's David come to life. And as it reaches you, it plunges a hand into its chest and removes a small burlap sack; it drops it into your hand, and melts entirely into a perfectly formed puddle at your feet."''</ref> It experimented with the creation of further Nomen,<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/Service_at_Avid_Horizon|Service at Avid Horizon|Sunless Sea|}}''"As soon as you dock, Mr Sacks lumbers ashore. It has been preparing for this. Plunging a hand into its cloak, it removes a handful of ammonia-scented snow. It places it on the ground and adds another on the top. Into this one it presses the teeth and the hair from the small box. Potential. Substance. Only one thing needs to be added, as in the tales of the Nomen. The Crimson Beast of Winter waits impatiently for you to provide it."''</ref> though all of its efforts were deemed failures.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/Service_at_Avid_Horizon|Give your blood|Sunless Sea|}}''"Mr Sacks stares down at the creature, which shivers and hugs itself. "Inadequate," Sacks says. "Again." Striding to the sealed gate, it rests a gloved hand against it, basking in the chill."''</ref> [[Mr Wines]] was especially concerned about these experiments and secretly sabotaged them.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/Knock,_Knock|Hear him out|Sunless Sea|}}''“My gracious employer has grave concerns about your guest down in the hold, Captain, and the course to which you are now committed. Blood will spill before this voyage is over, but it needn't be yours.” Jervaise produces a small vial. Crystal. The blood is red; redder than normal blood, almost glowing with vitality. “Here is a more bitter vintage. When the time comes, I urge you to choose wisely. A favour from on high is rarely a poor investment.”''</ref> It remains unclear what the original Mr Sacks hoped to achieve through these efforts, but its goals may have had something to do with its eventual disappearance and replacement by other versions of Mr Sacks in 1891.
+== Mr... Sackses? ==
+{{Spoiler}}<blockquote>''"The Neath-snow has fallen more thickly this week. Mr Sacks, too, seems thick on the ground. Cloaked and hooded Masterly figures are visiting certain addresses not once but several times, demanding gifts. What is going on?"''<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Day_4:_What%27s_the_angle%3F|Day 4: What's the angle?|Fallen London|}}</ref></blockquote>The original Mr Sacks and its urchins were replaced in 1891. The new Sacks still wore the same crimson robes and carried out the same mission, but observers noted subtle shifts in its voice<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Mr...Sacks%3F_1|Mr...Sacks?|Fallen London|}}''"Your voice sounds different..."''</ref> and mannerism.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Mr_Sacks!_Take_this_pail_of..._snow%3F|Mr Sacks! Take this pail of... snow?|Fallen London|}}''""The lacre is of the quality I might have expected. Yes, indeed. Not generous, but sufficient." It snares it with a sweep of its cloak, and departs. What's this it's left behind? Since when does Mr Sacks leave gifts?"''</ref> More intriguingly, it began to appear multiple times throughout the holiday season rather than in a single annual visit.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Day_2:_A_Genial_Visit_from_Mr_Sacks%3F|Day 2: A Genial Visit from Mr Sacks?|Fallen London|}}''"Again? Mr Sacks, like Christmas, used to come but once a year. It's true, then. Something has changed at the heart of the Bazaar."''</ref> In fact, it gradually became clear that there were not one but many Sackses,<ref name=":1">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Mr_Sacks!_Are_there..._many_of_you%3F|Mr Sacks! Are there... many of you?|Fallen London|}}''"Traditions sometimes change. Sometimes, they change back. You must take us as we come: us, and our Originals. Now. Where's my gift?"''</ref> which were all [[Nomen]] made in the likenesses of the [[Masters]]. Each Noman referred to its respective Master as an Original.<ref name=":1" /> According to [[Lilac]], the relationship between a Master and their Nomen is akin to parenthood;<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Love_is_sacrifice|Love is sacrifice|Fallen London|}}''"Self-love? Not exactly, I suppose. I wonder if the Masters love their lacre-selves. The relationship is, I understand, a little like parenthood, but not very. I must commend you: although I am not overly fond of lacre."''</ref> while the Nomen are based on their Originals, they may diverge in behavior or even oppose them entirely.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Now_this_is_what_you%27ve_been_waiting_for|Now ''this'' is what you've been waiting for|Fallen London|}}''"...agendas fundamentally influenced by the Masters whose shapes they take, but in some cases orthogonal or even opposed. The relevance of'' chess-men ''remains unclear at this point..."''</ref>
+As Christmas approaches, when Earth drifts farthest from the [[Sun]], the Bazaar becomes even more despondent than normal,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Now_this_is_what_you%27ve_been_waiting_for|Now ''this'' is what you've been waiting for|Fallen London|}}''"...that at Christmas, the Bazaar may simply be lonely. But this was universally condemned as 'absurd'."''</ref> and its [[lacre]] reservoirs swell with sorrow.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Wish_him_a_merry_Christmas|Wish him a merry Christmas|Fallen London|}}''"The lacre's always thick, this time of year. She feels her loneliness, I think." He sighs, and pats the wall fondly. "But it's rare for the nomen to rise. And this year and the last, they've been rising like dough. What will come, eh? What will come."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Mr...Sacks%3F_2|Mr...Sacks?|Fallen London|}}''"No, indeed! This year, the duties are more onerous, with the surging of the lacre. We all have our parts to play. Or parts of us do, ha ha! Which reminds me. Back soon—"''</ref>  If the Bazaar becomes too melancholy, lacre will flood into [[London]],<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Mr_Sacks!_Take_this_tale_of_romantic_misery!|Mr Sacks! Take this tale of romantic misery!|Fallen London|}}''"Ah no, ah no. At any other time, it would be welcome indeed! But not in the deep of winter when the lacre surges from its reservoirs... and when certain other matters occur below. But be not afraid! We have everything in hand. Keep your story, and keep your emotions well-reigned. Good night!"''</ref> depriving the [[Stone Pigs]] of the lacre that keeps them dormant,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Putting_the_Pieces_Together:_the_Taste_of_Lacre|Putting the Pieces Together: the Taste of Lacre|Fallen London|}}''"Stone-Pigs cannot be drowned in lacre. They only slumber."''</ref> waking them up and destroying everything.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Mr_Sacks!_Would_you_care_for_a_little_of_the_%2768%3F_2|Mr Sacks! Would you care for a little of the '68? 2|Fallen London|}}''"'Mr Sacks' sweeps the wine into the abyssal folds of its crimson robe. "How pleasant," it says, "to see the old traditions so faithfully observed! My best regards to you. And my advice! Should there be... tremors... remain of good cheer. The situation is in hand. The pigs sleep on.""''</ref> Prior to 1891, whenever this melancholia deepened beyond endurance, the original Mr Sacks would rise from the lacre; it would walk the streets of London, collecting small comforts, cherished trinkets, heartwarming stories, and, occasionally, carrying out strategic "abductions" on behalf of the Bazaar to hold back despair and prevent the city from sinking beneath the lacre. This role has now been assumed by the Masters' Nomen, who are dispatched when the Bazaar’s sadness threatens to overflow.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/There!_This_is_the_one_you_were_waiting_for...|There! This is the one you were waiting for...|Fallen London|}}''"We were a week finding the words in the lacre... Listen. These shapes – they rise from the lacre when the Bazaar commands. Some years they serve the Bazaar, some years the Masters... [...]"''</ref> The Sackses are also useful for gathering information or resources under festive pretenses and, occasionally, for spreading genuine cheer.
+=== Which Noman Is Which? ===
+* [[Mr Spices]]' Noman is instantly recognizable by its propensity for honey<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Mr_Sacks!_Would_you_care_for_a_little_of_the_%2768%3F|Mr Sacks! Would you care for a little of the '68?|Fallen London|}}''"It snatches the bottle with ill grace, and deposits a gleaming golden jar on the table. "You'll find this much more to your liking, I think. Why settle for wine when you can have honey?""''</ref> and a voice uncannily similar to its Original’s.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Mr_Sacks!_Would_you_care_for_something..._spicier_than_wine%3F|Mr Sacks! Would you care for something... spicier than wine?|Fallen London|}}''"Its voice is familiar. You have a hunch it might approve of this gift." "I see someone in this city still understands the value of true dreams. Happy Christmas to you."''</ref>
+* [[Mr Wines]]' Noman also inherits its Master's warm alto voice,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Day_2:_A_Genial_Visit_from_Mr_Sacks%3F|Day 2: A Genial Visit from Mr Sacks?|Fallen London|}}''"A knock on your door. A hunched figure. A rich alto voice: "What do you have for me tonight?""''</ref> carries a taste for fine wine and songs,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Mr_Sacks!_Take_this_eery_air!|Mr Sacks! Take this eery air!|Fallen London|}}''"It hums and sways as you play. As you conclude, it sighs nostalgically. "I shall sleep well tonight. As, I have faith, shall the pigs below. Trust in wine and slumber, my little friend! Trust, and be well. And now I depart.""''</ref> and is perhaps the most genial of all the Sackses.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Mr_Sacks!_Take_my_best_regards!_2|Mr Sacks! Take my best regards!|Fallen London|}}''"Of course, of course! I accept them in the spirit in which you conveyed them. Be well. All shall be well, you know. And all manner of thing. That was the promise. How I do prattle on. Sleep well! As will those below."''</ref>
+* Day three brings the Noman of [[Mr Stones]], who demands only diamonds; no other gift will satisfy it.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Day_3:_Mr_Sacks,_in_taciturn_mood|Day 3: Mr Sacks, in taciturn mood|Fallen London|}}''"And again! A knock on the door; a looming shape in white-trimmed red. But this time, Mr Sacks speaks only one word. "Diamonds.""''</ref>
+* There is no visitor on the fourth day, and [[Mr Mirrors]]' Noman appears on the fifth. It cryptically insinuates that the first two Sacks (Spices and Wines) sought to rule dreams, whereas it merely reflects them.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Day_5:_Mr_Sacks,_purringly|Day 5: Mr Sacks, purringly|Fallen London|}}''Tonight's Mr Sacks anounces itself with a merry triple knock; bows; addresses you as 'my dear'. "Give of your dreams," it says. "You've met the ones who desire to'' rule ''dreams. I wish only to'' reflect ''them."''</ref> It shows a particular fondness for mirror-dreams<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Mr_Sacks!_Take_this_dream_of_mirrors!|Mr Sacks! Take this dream of mirrors!|Fallen London|}}''"You little flatterer! Are you flirting with me? You do it rather well. Here. A little Christmas gilt-sparkle for you."''</ref> and hints that “Cups” is one of its names, alluding to the connection between Mr Mirrors and [[Mr Cups]].<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Mr_Sacks!_Take_my_ignorance_from_me._Are_you...|Mr Sacks! Take my ignorance from me. Are you...|Fallen London|}}''"Yes, yes. I might be called Cups. Among other things. And I smell Spices here, and Wines, and a certain familiar flintiness. But it's not sporting of you, my dear, to take when you might give. Not sporting at all. And now I shall take myself away. Good night."''</ref>
+* [[Mr Pages]]' Noman arrives with an evident love of the written word and a penchant for coining new terms; neologisms spill from its lips as readily as requests for parchment.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Day_6:_A_concrudescent_Mr_Sacks|Day 6: A concrudescent Mr Sacks|Fallen London|}}''"Good evening, citizen! My sack awaits your gifts most perelactally. Today, I am considering literature of many kinds."''</ref>
+* Day seven’s visitor is the Noman of [[Mr Fires]]; its focus is unmistakably London-centric, a testament to its Original’s love for the city.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Day_7:_Mr_Sacks,_in_embered_red|Day 7: Mr Sacks, in embered red|Fallen London|}}''"Twin red stars glow in the depths of its cowl. There are impossible echoes in the piping voice. But it seems tired. It wants to talk. It wants only one thing from you, an answer: how do you like London in the time of the Bazaar?"''</ref>
+* On the eighth day, [[Silas the Showman]] makes the rounds disguised as the Crimson Beast of Winter. The only human to play the role of Sacks, he has fallen upon hard times, and uses the role as an extra source of income.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Day_8:_Mr_Shacksh|Day 8: Mr Shacksh|Fallen London|}}''"[...] Mr Sacks – Silas – is good company, in a braggy sort of way, and before you know it you've opened a second bottle of wine. He seems philosophical about the failure of his ploy. "Hard timesh," he explains owlishly. "This damnable lacre is doing nothing for ticket sales at Mahogany Hall. My tailor and vintner have grown impatient. And I thought I'd take advantage of these damnable shnowmen..." [...]"''</ref>
+* The ninth Noman is different from the rest; draped in a white robe trimmed with red fox-fur, it delivers sinister gifts rather than taking them.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Day_9:_At_your_window|Day 9: At your window|Fallen London|}}''"That night as you sleep, Mr Sacks crouches on your window-sill. Its robe is the colour of salt, and its hood is trimmed with red fox-fur. I have brought you gifts, it whispers."''</ref> This Sacks is a surviving remnant of [[Mr Eaten]].<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Accept_the_Name!|Accept the Name!|Fallen London|}}''"The light on the edge of sleep was mine. I was Mr Candles. I will not be again."''</ref>
+* The tenth day’s Mr Sacks is the [[Noman]] of [[Mr Veils]].<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Day_10:_Down_the_chimney!|Day 10: Down the chimney!|Fallen London|}}''"[...] this one served a power that consumes. The worst that walks the roof-tops... but these matters aren't for grown-up ears. Don't worry. The Masters won't mourn it. No one will come for you. We'll sift its lacrous flesh for secrets. We'll find a weakness. The choir will go free."''</ref>
+* The penultimate Sacks is [[Mr Iron]]'s Noman, which communicates through writing<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Day_11:_Mr_Sacks,_mutely|Day 11: Mr Sacks, mutely|Fallen London|}}''"Mr Sacks looms like a clock-tower. Mr Sacks holds up a card, which reads: HO HO HO. Mr Sacks holds up a second card, which reads: COME WITH ME."''</ref> and shows an affinity with initiates of [[Knife-and-Candle]].<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Refuse_to_go,_but_offer_it_a_knife,_and_a_candle|Refuse to go, but offer it a knife, and a candle|Fallen London|}}''"It turns away from you for a moment; turns back, nods again as if to say, that's satisfactory, and hands you an oddly assorted sheaf of documents. On the top leaf it has printed the words WHAT WE MAY, WE DO."''</ref>
+* Finally, the disintegrating figure on the twelfth day is the Noman of [[Mr Cups]], with its sack full of junk.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/There!_This_is_the_one_you_were_waiting_for...|There! This is the one you were waiting for...|Fallen London|}}''"What's all this? Has Mr Sacks been visiting junk-shops? You sort through the contents as the white-and-crimson thing flops on the ground beside you."''</ref>
+==References==
+{{Scroll box|text = <references/>}}
+[[Category:Characters]]
+[[Category:Nonhuman]]

Anonymous

Search

Mr Sacks: Difference between revisions

Namespaces

More

Page actions

Latest revision as of 03:16, 25 May 2025

Contents

Sacks of Yore[edit]

Mr... Sackses?[edit]

Which Noman Is Which?[edit]

References[edit]

Navigation

Navigation

Wiki tools

Wiki tools

Anonymous

Search

Mr Sacks: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 03:16, 25 May 2025

Sacks of Yore[edit]

Mr... Sackses?[edit]

Which Noman Is Which?[edit]

References[edit]

Navigation

Wiki tools

Page tools

Categories