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{| align=center border=0 cellpadding=3 cellspacing=3 style="border: 1px solid #E0E0E0; background-color: grey"
{| align=center border=0 cellpadding=3 cellspacing=3 style="border: 3px solid #E0E0E0; background-color: grey"
|-  
|-  
| [[File:Crypticsecret.png|thumb|50px]]
| [[File:Crypticsecret.png|thumb|50px]]
| style="font-size: 90%" |<span style="color:black;"> '''"Is this secret perhaps not as carefully guarded as it should be?"'''
| style="font-size: 90%" |<span style="color:black;"><blockquote>'''"Do they say there are some things we were not meant to know? Would you be down here if you took that seriously?"'''</blockquote>
Do '''spoilers''' for ''Fallen London'', ''Sunless Sea'', or ''Sunless Skies'' lie beyond this point? Might this entail '''midgame''' or '''Ambition-related''' content? '''Should you proceed with caution?'''  
Do '''spoilers''' for ''Fallen London'', ''Sunless Sea'', or ''Sunless Skies'' lie beyond this point? Might this include '''midgame''' or '''minor Fate-locked''' content? '''Should you proceed with caution'''?


Can you find out more about our spoiler policy '''[[Content Guidelines and Spoilers|here]]'''?
Can you find out more about our spoiler policy '''[[Content Guidelines and Spoilers|here]]'''?</span>
 
</span>
|}<br>
|}<br>
{{Whither_Location
{{Neath_Location
|title2 = Whither?
|image1 = Locations Whither.png
|image1 = Locations Whither.png
|caption1 = Is Whither chilly, but not deadly?
|location = [[The Unterzee|Boreal Reach?]]
|location = [[The Unterzee|Boreal Reach]]?
|music = [https://failbettergames.bandcamp.com/track/Elegiac Elegiac?]|title1=Whither?|image2=|caption2=|port=Andergard Harbour?|alias=|allegiance=Whither's Mayor?}}<blockquote>''"Behind the great arch over the Bay, the Pale Wastes stretch, white and silent as the face of the moon. From here, you might almost imagine they were snow. North of the city, the salt-pools fizz with unlikely colour."''<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/Whither#Whither|Whither|Sunless Sea}}</ref></blockquote>
|ports = Andergard Harbour?
|affilation=Independent?
|notable_inhabitants =The Fading Haruspex (exiled) ?
|music = [https://failbettergames.bandcamp.com/track/Elegiac Elegiac?]|title1=Whither|image2=|caption2=|port=Andergard Harbour|alias=}}''"Behind the great arch over the Bay, the Pale Wastes stretch, white and silent as the face of the moon. From here, you might almost imagine they were snow. North of the city, the salt-pools fizz with unlikely colour."''<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/Whither#Whither|Whither|Sunless Sea|}}</ref>


''"The citizens of Whither enjoy questions: so much so that they always answer a question with another question. This can make intelligence-gathering frustrating."''<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/Whither#Interactions|Gather intelligence|Sunless Sea|}}</ref>
<blockquote>''"The citizens of Whither enjoy questions: so much so that they always answer a question with another question. This can make intelligence-gathering frustrating."''<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/Whither#Interactions|Gather intelligence|Sunless Sea}}</ref></blockquote>


'''Whither''' is a city located to the far north of the [[Unterzee]] near the salty Pale Wastes and the [[Codex|Isle of Codex]] - or is it?__forcetoc__
'''Whither''' is a city located to the far north of the [[Unterzee]] near the salty Pale Wastes and [[Codex]] - or is it?__FORCETOC__


==No Answers?==
==No Answers?==
''"Why are there so many questions in Whither?"''<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/A_Port_Report:_Whither|A Port Report: Whither|Sunless Sea|}}</ref>
<blockquote>''"Why are there so many questions in Whither?"''<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/A_Port_Report:_Whither|A Port Report: Whither|Sunless Sea}}</ref></blockquote>
 
''"Are you asking for any particular reason? At what time of day? Is that your hat? Might it be six?"''<ref>{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/Whither#Interactions|Gather intelligence|Sunless Sea|}}</ref>
 
Is Whither is a melancholy city of chilly evenings and muted tones?<ref>{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/Whither#Interactions|Explore the town|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> Is Whither a place where questions are asked? Does everyone communicate by answering questions? Can the answers be anything other than questions, and will a citizen get exiled from Whither to [[Codex]] if their answer is not a question?<ref name = "admiralty">{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/The_Admiralty_Survey_Office#Port_Reports|Codex|Sunless Sea|}}''"Exiled for giving answers. That's Whither for you. Anything new?"''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/The_Fading_Haruspex#Interactions|Ask what she seeks down here|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> Does a [[Storm|strange wind]] blow through Whither, speaking of the [[Avid Horizon]]?<ref>{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/Whither#Interactions|Explore the town (The wind speaks)|Sunless Sea|}}</ref>
 
Are the people of Whither quiet and reserved? Do their diets mainly consist of cave-fish, beasts from the Pale Wastes, and passable beer? Do the constables of Whither give unclear sentence lengths, and does Whither have a mayor?<ref>{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/Whither#Interactions|Shore leave in Whither|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> Are there vendors in Whither who sell various forms of zee-food, like [[Food_in_the_Neath#Tyrant.27s_Treat|tyrant's treat]] or shredded [[:Category:Creatures#Jillyfleurs%20and%20Jillyfish|jillyfish]]?<ref>{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/An_Intriguing_Smell|Try something mysterious|Sunless Sea|}}</ref><ref>{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/An_Intriguing_Smell|Try the shredded jillyfish|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> Do these salesmen also have meats to accommodate... other hungers?<ref>{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/An_Intriguing_Smell|“Do you have anything more... robust?”|Sunless Sea|}}</ref>  


Are the people of Whither obsessed with riddles, holding high-stakes '''Contests of Riddles''' to wager on guessing correct answers?<ref>{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/A_Contest_of_Riddles|Event description|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> Do these Contests include [[Drownies]] as participants, who stake the '''Riddles of Pearls''' from the court of the [[Fathomking]],<ref>{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/A_Contest_of_Riddles|Attempt one of the Riddles of Pearl|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> as well as players from [[Irem]], staking the legendary '''Great Riddles of Irem'''?<ref>{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/A_Contest_of_Riddles|Attempt one of the Great Riddles of Irem|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> Do Whithern and Iremi engage in rivalries of rhetoric at [[Frostfound]] to determine the difference between a question and a riddle, calling it the '''Game of Truths'''? Is the winner of this game allowed to enter Frostfound without risk?<ref>{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/Frostfound#Frostfound|Take tea with the squatters at the dock|Sunless Sea|}}</ref>
Is Whither a melancholy city of chilly evenings and muted tones?<ref>{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/Whither#Interactions|Explore the town|Sunless Sea|}} ''"Whither is a quiet, chilly town of grey stone and closed courtyards."''</ref> Is Whither a place where questions are asked?<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/A_Port_Report:_Whither|Item description|Sunless Sea}} ''"Why are there so many questions in Whither?"''</ref> Does everyone in Whither answer questions with questions?<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/Whither#Interactions|Gather intelligence|Sunless Sea}} ''"The citizens of Whither enjoy questions: so much so that they always answer a question with another question. [...] “Are you asking for any particular reason?” “At what time of day?” “Is that your hat?” “Might it be six?”"''</ref> Can the answers to questions be anything other than questions, and will a citizen be exiled to [[Codex]] if their answer is not a question?<ref name = "admiralty">{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/The_Admiralty_Survey_Office#Port_Reports|Codex|Sunless Sea}}''"Exiled for giving answers. That's Whither for you. Anything new?"''</ref> Does a strange wind blow through Whither, speaking of the [[Avid Horizon]]?<ref>{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/Whither#Interactions|Explore the town|Sunless Sea|}} ''"The wind speaks [...] There are words in the wind: [...] of a gate in the North, [...]"''</ref>
[[File:Frostfound port.png|alt=A castle of ice.|thumb|130x130px|[[Frostfound|Frostfound?]]]]
Are the people of Whither quiet and reserved? Does the island have a mayor? Are their constables unclear in the lengths of their prisoners' sentences? Is their preferred diet mostly cave-fish, beasts from the Pale Wastes, and passable beer?<ref>{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/Whither#Interactions|Shore leave in Whither|Sunless Sea|}} ''"The folk of Whither are quiet and sly and mystical. They subsist on cave-fish and the dust-burrowing beasts of the Waste. Their beer, however, is adequate. [...] She punches the mayor's nephew [...] and is hauled off [...] You ask about the date of their release. When the Whithern constables respond with “What is the price of time?”, [...]"''</ref> Do Whithern and [[Irem]]i engage in an annual contest at [[Frostfound]] called the '''Game of Truths''', aiming to determine the difference between questions and riddles? Will a winner emerge one day, and will they be able to enter Frostfound without risk?<ref>{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/Frostfound#Frostfound|Take tea with the squatters at the dock|Sunless Sea|}} ''"Some of them wear the robes of Iremi Riddlefishers; some look like Whithern folk, [...] "We're keeping the steps for the Game of Truths," [...] "Every year, the people of Irem and Whither meet here, for - [...] "Contests," [...] "The difference between a question and a riddle. One day, someone will prove themselves enough to enter the castle."''</ref>


== The House of the Question ==
== The House of the Question ==
''"North-west of Whither town, the House of the Question stands alone. Here the initiates of the House make offerings to the three gods of the deep zee, and perhaps a fourth who is not a god. It's the one place in Whither where you can sometimes get a straight answer... for a price."''<ref name = "house question story description">{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/The_House_of_the_Question|Story description|Sunless Sea|}}</ref>
<blockquote>''"North-west of Whither town, the House of the Question stands alone. Here the initiates of the House make offerings to the three gods of the deep zee, and perhaps a fourth who is not a god. It's the one place in Whither where you can sometimes get a straight answer... for a price."''<ref>{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/The_House_of_the_Question|Story description|Sunless Sea|}}</ref></blockquote>
[[File:Dripstonetemple.png|alt=A mysterious temple sitting on a cliff face.|thumb|The House of the Question]]
[[File:Dripstonetemple.png|alt=A mysterious temple sitting on a cliff face.|thumb|The House of the Question]]
Is there a temple northwest of Whither proper, and is it the only place where one can find an answer on this island? Yes, ''yes it is''.<ref name = "house question story description"/>
Is there a temple northwest of Whither proper, and is it the only place where one can find an answer on this island? Yes, ''yes it is''.<ref>{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/The_House_of_the_Question|Story description|Sunless Sea|}} ''"North-west of Whither town, the House of the Question stands [...] It's the one place in Whither where you can sometimes get a straight answer... for a price."''</ref>
 
The '''House of the Question''' is a temple dedicated to the [[Gods of the Unterzee]], with richly decorated shrines maintained for each mysterious power. The House is managed by several initiates who are capable of drawing a god's attention,<ref name = "gain storm attention">{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/The_House_of_the_Question|Gain Storm's Attention|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> or lifting their infamous curses, through various strange rituals.<ref>{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/The_House_of_the_Question|Lift Storm's Curse|Sunless Sea|}}</ref>
 
The altar of [[Storm]] is rich and red with blood and wines, and the initiates perform violent rites, often involving live sacrifices, for the choleric god's favor.<ref name = "gain storm attention"/> [[Stone]]'s shrine is lit with an eternal flame, and her rites involve donating fuel for her fire and reciting incantations in the language of the [[Elder Continent]],<ref>{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/The_House_of_the_Question|Gain Stone's Attention|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> or burning a massive pyre of treasure as an offering to her.<ref>{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/The_House_of_the_Question|Lift Stone's Curse|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> The shrine of [[Salt]] is covered in written stories, and its rites involve providing tales for the initiates to add to the walls.<ref>{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/The_House_of_the_Question|Gain Salt's Attention|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> No one can quite articulate how to lift Salt's curse, but the ritual involves strange bells, a white petal to symbolize the curse's end, and the phrase ''"All shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well."''<ref>{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/The_House_of_the_Question|Lift Salt's Curse|Sunless Sea|}}</ref>


There is no fourth shrine dedicated to that which is not a god, and besides, what ''are'' gods, anyway?<ref name = "house question story description"/>
The '''House of the Question''' is a temple dedicated to the [[Gods of the Unterzee]],<ref>{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/The_House_of_the_Question|Story description|Sunless Sea|}} ''"Here the initiates of the House make offerings to the three gods of the deep zee [...]"''</ref> with richly decorated shrines for each power.<ref>{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/The_House_of_the_Question|Gain Salt's Attention|Sunless Sea|}} ''"The walls around Salt's shrine are written over with tales."''</ref><ref>{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/The_House_of_the_Question|Gain Stone's Attention|Sunless Sea|}} ''"A flame burns eternally in the shrine of Stone, [...]"''</ref> It is maintained by several initiates who are capable of drawing a god's attention,<ref>{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/The_House_of_the_Question|Gain Storm's Attention|Sunless Sea|}} ''"Storm's shrine is red with blood and wine. [...] The initiates of the House perform the sacrifice. [...] "Storm's a messy eater," [...] he's heard your name now."''</ref> or lifting their curses, through various rituals.<ref>{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/The_House_of_the_Question|Lift Stone's Curse|Sunless Sea|}} ''"Lift Stone's Curse [...] The initiates build a pyre of riches: all that linen up in smoke, length by length, all that scintillack cracked and sizzling."''</ref> There is no fourth shrine dedicated to the [[Mr Eaten|Drowned Man]] who is not a god,<ref>{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/The_House_of_the_Question|Ask about the Drowned Man|Sunless Sea|}} ''"Ask about the Drowned Man [...] "He is not a god. He came from the North, where it is too cold for gods, [...]"''</ref> and besides, what ''are'' gods, anyway?


==References?==
==References?==
<references/>
{{Scroll box|text = <references/>}}
[[Category:Places]]
[[Category:Places]]
[[Category:Cited]]
[[Category:The Unterzee]]
[[Category:The Neath]]
[[Category:Stylistic]]
[[Category:Stylistic]]
[[Category:Formatted]]

Latest revision as of 16:10, 4 June 2025

"Do they say there are some things we were not meant to know? Would you be down here if you took that seriously?"

Do spoilers for Fallen London, Sunless Sea, or Sunless Skies lie beyond this point? Might this include midgame or minor Fate-locked content? Should you proceed with caution?

Can you find out more about our spoiler policy here?


"Behind the great arch over the Bay, the Pale Wastes stretch, white and silent as the face of the moon. From here, you might almost imagine they were snow. North of the city, the salt-pools fizz with unlikely colour."[1]

"The citizens of Whither enjoy questions: so much so that they always answer a question with another question. This can make intelligence-gathering frustrating."[2]

Whither is a city located to the far north of the Unterzee near the salty Pale Wastes and Codex - or is it?

No Answers?[edit]

"Why are there so many questions in Whither?"[3]

Is Whither a melancholy city of chilly evenings and muted tones?[4] Is Whither a place where questions are asked?[5] Does everyone in Whither answer questions with questions?[6] Can the answers to questions be anything other than questions, and will a citizen be exiled to Codex if their answer is not a question?[7] Does a strange wind blow through Whither, speaking of the Avid Horizon?[8]

A castle of ice.
Frostfound?

Are the people of Whither quiet and reserved? Does the island have a mayor? Are their constables unclear in the lengths of their prisoners' sentences? Is their preferred diet mostly cave-fish, beasts from the Pale Wastes, and passable beer?[9] Do Whithern and Iremi engage in an annual contest at Frostfound called the Game of Truths, aiming to determine the difference between questions and riddles? Will a winner emerge one day, and will they be able to enter Frostfound without risk?[10]

The House of the Question[edit]

"North-west of Whither town, the House of the Question stands alone. Here the initiates of the House make offerings to the three gods of the deep zee, and perhaps a fourth who is not a god. It's the one place in Whither where you can sometimes get a straight answer... for a price."[11]

A mysterious temple sitting on a cliff face.
The House of the Question

Is there a temple northwest of Whither proper, and is it the only place where one can find an answer on this island? Yes, yes it is.[12]

The House of the Question is a temple dedicated to the Gods of the Unterzee,[13] with richly decorated shrines for each power.[14][15] It is maintained by several initiates who are capable of drawing a god's attention,[16] or lifting their curses, through various rituals.[17] There is no fourth shrine dedicated to the Drowned Man who is not a god,[18] and besides, what are gods, anyway?

References?[edit]

  1. Whither, Sunless Sea
  2. Gather intelligence, Sunless Sea
  3. A Port Report: Whither, Sunless Sea
  4. Explore the town, Sunless Sea "Whither is a quiet, chilly town of grey stone and closed courtyards."
  5. Item description, Sunless Sea "Why are there so many questions in Whither?"
  6. Gather intelligence, Sunless Sea "The citizens of Whither enjoy questions: so much so that they always answer a question with another question. [...] “Are you asking for any particular reason?” “At what time of day?” “Is that your hat?” “Might it be six?”"
  7. Codex, Sunless Sea "Exiled for giving answers. That's Whither for you. Anything new?"
  8. Explore the town, Sunless Sea "The wind speaks [...] There are words in the wind: [...] of a gate in the North, [...]"
  9. Shore leave in Whither, Sunless Sea "The folk of Whither are quiet and sly and mystical. They subsist on cave-fish and the dust-burrowing beasts of the Waste. Their beer, however, is adequate. [...] She punches the mayor's nephew [...] and is hauled off [...] You ask about the date of their release. When the Whithern constables respond with “What is the price of time?”, [...]"
  10. Take tea with the squatters at the dock, Sunless Sea "Some of them wear the robes of Iremi Riddlefishers; some look like Whithern folk, [...] "We're keeping the steps for the Game of Truths," [...] "Every year, the people of Irem and Whither meet here, for - [...] "Contests," [...] "The difference between a question and a riddle. One day, someone will prove themselves enough to enter the castle."
  11. Story description, Sunless Sea
  12. Story description, Sunless Sea "North-west of Whither town, the House of the Question stands [...] It's the one place in Whither where you can sometimes get a straight answer... for a price."
  13. Story description, Sunless Sea "Here the initiates of the House make offerings to the three gods of the deep zee [...]"
  14. Gain Salt's Attention, Sunless Sea "The walls around Salt's shrine are written over with tales."
  15. Gain Stone's Attention, Sunless Sea "A flame burns eternally in the shrine of Stone, [...]"
  16. Gain Storm's Attention, Sunless Sea "Storm's shrine is red with blood and wine. [...] The initiates of the House perform the sacrifice. [...] "Storm's a messy eater," [...] he's heard your name now."
  17. Lift Stone's Curse, Sunless Sea "Lift Stone's Curse [...] The initiates build a pyre of riches: all that linen up in smoke, length by length, all that scintillack cracked and sizzling."
  18. Ask about the Drowned Man, Sunless Sea "Ask about the Drowned Man [...] "He is not a god. He came from the North, where it is too cold for gods, [...]"