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{{Character|title1 = Salt|image1 =  
{{Character|title1 = Salt|image1 = SS buoygaz.webp|caption1 = Restless|location = [[The Uttermost East]]|allegiance = Independent|relationships = [[The White]] (former master)
<gallery>
SS buoygaz.webp | Restless
East.png | East
</gallery>|location = [[The Uttermost East]]|allegiance = Independent|relationships = [[The White]] (former master)
[[Storm]]<br>
[[Storm]]<br>
[[Stone]]|music = [https://failbettergames.bandcamp.com/track/sunless-sea Sunless Sea]}}<blockquote>''"A zailor has grown fretful and disobedient, reluctant to go on deck, even in port."<ref name = "zee bat arrives">{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/A_white_zee-bat|Story description|Sunless Sea|}}</ref></blockquote>
[[Stone]]|music = [https://failbettergames.bandcamp.com/track/sunless-sea Sunless Sea]}}<blockquote>''"A zailor has grown fretful and disobedient, reluctant to go on deck, even in port."</blockquote>


<blockquote>''"There's a white zee-bat watching me up there. Salt's messenger. Salt's got its eye on me. I'll never see home again!"''<ref name = "zee bat arrives"/></blockquote>
<blockquote>''"There's a white zee-bat watching me up there. Salt's messenger. Salt's got its eye on me. I'll never see home again!"''<ref name = "zee bat arrives">{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/A_white_zee-bat|Story description|Sunless Sea|}}</ref></blockquote>


'''Salt''' is one of the three [[Gods of the Unterzee]].
'''Salt''' is one of the three [[Gods of the Unterzee]]. Its domain is the [[The Uttermost East|Uttermost East]].


==The Traveller==
==The God of Farewells==
<blockquote>''"That night, as you stand on the foredeck, a soft breeze comes out of the East, the Salt's direction; tousles your hair; passes."''<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/A_skilled_crewman|Event description|Sunless Sea|}}</ref></blockquote>
<blockquote>''"Out here, a captain needs all the help he can get. Even from sad strange gods of farewells."''<ref name = "permission granted">{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/A_skilled_crewman|Permit it|Sunless Sea|}}</ref></blockquote>
[[File:Generic unterzee4.png|alt=A dark sea.|thumb|[[The Unterzee]]]]
Salt is a [[Gods of the Unterzee|God of the Unterzee]] and dwells to the [[The Uttermost East|Uttermost East]].<ref name = "look east">{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/Irem#Tomb-Colonists_in_Irem|The Colonists will look East|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> It is the nameless god of farewells<ref name = "permission granted"/> and of the horizon.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/A_skilled_crewman|Event description|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> It is fond of change<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/Your_Colony#Naming_Your_Colony|Aestival|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> and associated with travels,<ref name = "go east">{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/The_Corridors_of_Frostfound#The_Dark_Room|Fumble in the darkness|Sunless Sea|}} ''"Long ago, a traveller went East, seeking something [...]"''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/Carnelian_Exile#Speak_to_the_Carnelian_Exile|Bread and Salt|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> and may embody the [[Unterzee]] itself.<ref name = "shut off light">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Shut_off_every_light_aboard;_full_steam_ahead!|Shut off every light aboard; full steam ahead!|Fallen London|}}</ref>


Of the gods of the Zee, Salt is the most elusive, said to dwell beyond the horizon.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/Irem#Tomb-Colonists_in_Irem|The Colonists will look East | Sunless Sea|}}</ref> It is the god of farewells,<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/The_Gods_of_the_Zee:_Salt's_Curse#Quality_description| The Gods of the Zee: Salt's Curse|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> and may be the embodiment of [[The Unterzee|the Zee itself]].<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Break_on_through_to_the_other_side|Break on through to the other side|Fallen London|}}</ref> Its speech is a light across the water,<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/Irem#Tomb-Colonists_in_Irem|Their bandages will be soaked with tears | Sunless Sea|}}</ref> a sea breeze,<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/A_skilled_crewman|A breath of air | Sunless Sea|}}</ref> a splash in the distance<ref name=":10">{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/Kingeater's_Castle|The rewards of curiosity | Sunless Sea|}}</ref> - always from the East, calling fellow travellers toward it.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Eastern_Wind|Eastern Wind|Fallen London|}}</ref><ref name=":11">{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/Carnelian_Exile|A brisk dinner| Sunless Sea|}}</ref> It is always approaching, but never arriving.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Swim_to_the_beach|Swim to the beach|Fallen London|}}</ref><ref name=":10" /> It can provoke an intense sadness as it passes,<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/Tears|Tears| Sunless Sea|}}</ref> and those who anger it might find their families driven to violence.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/Dark_News|Dark News|Sunless Sea|}}</ref>
Salt's presence may be marked by a light from the horizon or a sea breeze, both from the East.<ref name = "look east"/><ref name = "permission granted"/> It may provoke intense melancholy<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/Tears|Event description|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> or convey prescient<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/Albino_Moray#You've_defeated_an_Albino_Moray|Rescue a New Jonah|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> dreams.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/Venderbight#Interactions_2|The New Jonah|Sunless Sea|}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/Shadowy_work_in_Khan%27s_Heart|A blessing|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> Lost faces are sacred to Salt,<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/Salt_Lions#Interactions|Salt's Rites|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> and it is associated with the phrase <em>'''"TRAVELLER RETURNING"'''</em>.<ref name = "return">{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/The_Corridors_of_Frostfound#The_Dark_Room|TRAVELLER RETURNING|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> It can apparently transmute matter, such as flesh into salt, but this is rarely seen.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/Kingeater%27s_Castle#Interactions|The Sixth Witness|Sunless Sea|}}</ref>
[[File:Bat.png|alt=A bat.|thumb|A zee-bat.]]
'''White zee-bats''' are Salt's messengers. Being watched by a white zee-bat is an ill omen, as the subject may never reach home again.<ref name = "zee bat arrives"/> Feeding a white zee-bat will incur Salt's favor and cause other strange occurances,<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/A_white_zee-bat|Feed the zee-bat|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> while harming one will incur Salt's wrath.<ref name = "shoot bat">{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/A_white_zee-bat|Shoot the zee-bat|Sunless Sea|}}</ref>


Where its voice sings, a white zee-bat might follow.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/A_white_zee-bat|A white zee-bat|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> Where its influence is felt, a message is often found: TRAVELLER RETURNING.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/Your_Colony#Receive_an_Embassy|Not Helpful| Sunless Sea|}}</ref>
'''Salt's Song''', and its light, tempt travelers to venture East, especially if they lack a home.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/Carnelian_Exile#Speak_to_the_Carnelian_Exile|Bread and Salt|Sunless Sea|}}</ref><ref name = "look east"/> Salt's humming<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Feel_the_soil|Feel the soil|Fallen London|}} ''"[...] something is humming, and you are humming with it [...]"''</ref> permeates the wind near the Eastern zee<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Eastern_Wind|Eastern Wind|Fallen London|}}</ref> and the sound of the zee's waves,<ref name = "shut off light"/> giving listeners strange dreams of its domain.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Look|Look|Fallen London|}}</ref> Anyone who zails too far East will find themselves under Salt's scrutiny, which silences all sound.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/The_Sun_within_the_Sea|The surrounding light|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> Salt's light will bloom from the Unterzee, and any unworthy travelers will be forced to turn back.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/The_Sun_beneath_the_Sea|The light below|Sunless Sea|}}</ref>


Salt is feared and worshipped by zailors, who give it their stories and secrets,<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/The_House_of_the_Question|Lift Salt's Curse | Sunless Sea|}}</ref> and call its wrath upon those who wrong them.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/A_Raggedy_Fellow|Strong words | Sunless Sea|}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/The_Man_who_Stole_the_Sun|Gratitude... and curses | Sunless Sea|}}</ref> It also punishes those who steal from shipwrecks.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/The_Wreck_of_the_Nocturne|A harrowing emptiness | Sunless Sea|}}</ref>
Salt appears to be connected in some way to [[Irem]]<ref name = "look east"/> and [[Kingeater's Castle]],<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/Kingeater's_Castle#Interactions|Allow the Gall-Eyed Engineer to go ashore|Sunless Sea|}}</ref><ref name = "lose your mind">{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/Kingeater's_Castle#Interactions|Lose your mind|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> but the details are unclear.
==Who is Salt?==
 
=== Worship ===
<blockquote>''"The face of the northern sphinx is all but gone. Lost faces are sacred to Salt, they say. You are drawn there. To what end? Salt's voice is distant, but clear..."''<ref name= "salt rite">{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/Salt_Lions#Interactions|Salt's Rites|Sunless Sea|}}</ref></blockquote>
[[File:Dripstonetemple.png|alt=A temple near the side of a cliff.|thumb|[[Whither#The_House_of_the_Question|The House of the Question]]]]
Salt is worshiped by zailors,<ref name = "skilled zailor">{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/A_skilled_crewman|Event description|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> who make offerings to it by dropping treasures,<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/Whisper-Locked_Puzzle-Box#Interactions|Throw the box in the sea, as an offering to Salt|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> such as moon-pearls, to the [[Unterzee]].<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Approaching_the_Pillared_Sea|Approaching the Pillared Sea|Fallen London|}}</ref> Zailors also maintain shrines<ref name = "skilled zailor"/> to Salt that may resemble a salt circle and arrow of chalk.<ref name = "permission granted"/> The [[Whither#The_House_of_the_Question|House of the Question]] in [[Whither]] has a shrine to Salt with walls inscribed with stories. Providing stories for the shrine grants Salt's favor, but seeing where the tale will be written is considered bad luck.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/The_House_of_the_Question|Gain Salt's Attention|Sunless Sea|}}</ref>
 
Salt's favor has varying effects. It may provide strange knowledge when beseeched,<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/The_View_from_Above|Prayer to the god called Salt|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> and its voice may hint of treasure near its hallowed places.<ref name= "salt rite"/> However, in times of crisis, Salt has its own ideas of "help". This includes summoning a [[Bestiary#Tyrant-Moth|Tyrant-Moth]] to accost the unlucky.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/Desperate_Measures_(Fuel)|Make a sacrifice to Salt|Sunless Sea|}}</ref>
 
=== Salt's Curse ===
<blockquote>''"You won't take me? Well, you'll take my curse! Salt, witness me! My curse on this captain without charity! Others will abandon you, as you abandoned me! Curse you! Curse you!"''<ref name = "leave here">{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/A_Raggedy_Fellow|Leave him here|Sunless Sea|}}</ref></blockquote>
[[File:Nocturne.png|alt=A half-sunken ship.|thumb|The Nocturne. Beware.]]
Salt's curse is feared by zailors; they'd rather sacrifice transgressors to the [[Unterzee]] than risk its effects.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/The_Wreck_of_the_Nocturne#Interactions|Board this empty mausoleum|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> The curse may be inflicted by harming white zee-bats,<ref name = "shoot bat"/> or stealing from partially-submerged shipwrecks.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/The_Secret_of_the_Nocturne#Interactions|A little bonus|Sunless Sea|}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/The_Wreck_of_the_Nocturne#Interactions|A mystery unresolved|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> Zailors can invoke the curse on others as punishment. Methods include a ritual of speech, blood, and spit,<ref name = "leave here"/> complex sign language,<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/An_Exile_Aboard%3F|Refuse it|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> or written cursing-signs.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/The_Man_who_Stole_the_Sun|Let him off with a warning|Sunless Sea|}}</ref>
 
The effects of Salt's curse are dire: a victim may find their family gone upon returning home. They may receive the comfort of a farewell note,<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/Dark_News|A letter from the Dapper Chap|Sunless Sea|}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/Dark_News|An official notice from the Foreign Office|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> or their loved ones might vanish entirely, leaving behind nary a trace besides Salt's mark.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/Dark_News|Appalling news|Sunless Sea|}}</ref>
 
Lifting Salt's curse is possible in the [[Whither#The_House_of_the_Question|House of the Question]]. The process is unclear, but a white flower petal is given afterwards to symbolize the curse lifting.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/The_House_of_the_Question|Lift Salt's Curse|Sunless Sea|}}</ref>
 
== The Traveler's Journey ==
{{Major spoiler small}}
{{Major spoiler small}}
Salt is a Judgment.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/The_Sun_within_the_Sea|The Sun within the Sea| Sunless Sea|}}</ref> It is now in exile in [[the Neath]],<ref name=":12">{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/A_Travelling_Light|A Travelling Light| Sunless Sea|}}</ref> but before it came here, [[Judgements|the White]] asked it a favor:<ref name=":13">{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/The_Name-Which-Burns|The Name-Which-Burns|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> to find what [[the Sun]] had hid (probably his daughter [[Stone]]).<ref name=":14">{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/Green_and_Gold|Green and Gold|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> It promised a treasure at the end of the search, and perhaps something else.<ref name=":13" /> Salt accepted because it sought something it could not find between the stars,<ref name=":0">{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/The_Corridors_of_Frostfound#The_Dark_Room|Fumble in the darkness|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> and entered the Neath, at a terrible cost.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/The_Corridors_of_Frostfound#The_Iridescence|The Iridescence|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> It saw Stone's light and found it appetizing, but she was too far away, so instead it sated its hunger by corresponding with her.<ref name=":0" /> At some point during this time, but long before [[The Echo Bazaar|the Bazaar]] came to the Neath, it made a treaty with the [[The Elder Continent|Presbyterate]].<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/Your_Colony#Receive_an_Embassy|An understanding with the Presbyterate | Sunless Sea|}}</ref> Eventually it made the castle of [[Frostfound]] to record its story,<ref name=":12" /><ref name=":13" />, shed its past and future in the place now called [[Kingeater's Castle|Kingeater’s Castle]],<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/Kingeater%27s_Castle|Give up your past| Sunless Sea|}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/Kingeater%27s_Castle|Give up your future| Sunless Sea|}}</ref> and went '''[[East]]'''<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/Kingeater%27s_Castle|"There!" | Sunless Sea|}}</ref> to change further and shear itself.<ref name=":1">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Release_your_Uttermost_Eel_into_the_waters|Release your Uttermost Eel into the waters|Fallen London|}}</ref>
<blockquote>''"Recall who sent you here. That fierce old thing in the dark."''</blockquote>
 
<blockquote>''"Find her, and you will find the treasures. Go down. You need only take a little. My aid is cheap. You will have what I promised."''<ref name = "letter five">{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/The_Name-Which-Burns|The fifth letter: the White|Sunless Sea|}}</ref></blockquote>
[[File:GleamWhite.png|alt=A star surrounded by snowflakes.|thumb|[[The White]]]]
Long ago, Salt was an exiled [[Judgement]] of the [[High Wilderness]].<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/A_Travelling_Light#Items_description|Items description|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> Salt visited the palace of the [[The White|White]]<ref name = "crystal palace">{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/The_Name-Which-Burns|The sixth letter: a palace of poisoned crystal|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> and received a task: find what the [[Sun]] had hid in the [[Neath]],<ref name = "return home">{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/Green_and_Gold|Once, you said… "The zee is wide, but I'll always return home."|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> perhaps [[Stone]] herself?<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Listen_to_the_Mountain_tell_its_stories|Listen to the Mountain tell its stories|Fallen London|}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Dump_it_on_the_fire|Dump it on the fire|Fallen London|}}</ref> The White promised a treasure at the end of the search, and may have promised some other boon. Salt did not know anything about the Neath at the time,<ref name = "letter five"/> and worried it may never come back from the journey. Regardless, a "need" drove Salt to accept.<ref name = "crystal palace"/>
 
En route to the Neath, Salt was hunted down<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/The_Corridors_of_Frostfound#The_Corridors_of_Frostfound|Enter the Amethyst Gallery|Sunless Sea|}} ''"You are the centre of hunters' attention [...]"''</ref> by beasts of the High Wilderness. Salt slaughtered them all, leaving their enormous carcasses to drift in space.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/The_Corridors_of_Frostfound#The_Amethyst_Gallery|The Amethyst Gallery|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> Salt then entered the Neath in a painful process,<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/The_Corridors_of_Frostfound#The_Dark_Room|TRAVELLER RETURNING|Sunless Sea|}} ''"The third letter. When you came below, you knew it would hurt, but not this much."''</ref> which may have involved the [[Red Science]].<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/The_Corridors_of_Frostfound#The_Cavity|Surrender to the traces of horror|Sunless Sea|}}</ref>
 
=== The Castle of Ice ===
<blockquote>''"Long ago a hungry monarch built a castle. The monarch saw a light in the south, in the palace of the south's queen. In those days, hungry as the monarch was, that light provoked nothing but appetite. But she was too far to devour. Over time, their correspondence calmed the monarch, and when the time came for the monarch to depart, the monarch's appetite was transformed, like blood into tears."''<ref name = "fumbling">{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/The_Corridors_of_Frostfound#The_Dark_Room|Fumble in the darkness|Sunless Sea|}}</ref></blockquote>
[[File:Frostfound port.png|alt=A castle of ice with two towers.|100px|thumb|[[Frostfound]]]]
When Salt entered the Neath, it rode a "dead wind" from the North. It built a castle of ice out of its memories<ref name = "lose your mind"/> that would later be called [[Frostfound]].<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Reach_out_and_touch_it|Reach out and touch it|Fallen London|}} ''"–a castle of ice for a hungry monarch–"''</ref> Salt was famished, and saw [[Stone]]'s light to the [[The Elder Continent|South]], finding it appetizing. But Stone was too far to reach, so Salt corresponded with her instead. Their exchanges calmed Salt, and over time, its hunger was transformed, like "blood into tears."<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/The_Corridors_of_Frostfound#The_Dark_Room|Fumble in the darkness|Sunless Sea|}} ''"Long ago a hungry monarch built a castle. The monarch saw a light in the south [...]"''</ref>
 
Salt also sent several messengers, including beings from [[Axile]], to communicate with [[Storm]], but Storm devoured them. Salt then found Storm's name, and Storm had to bear heed. What transpired next is unknown, but it was not beneficial to either of them.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/The_Corridors_of_Frostfound#The_Dark_Room|Fumble in the darkness|Sunless Sea|}} ''"Long ago a hungry monarch built a castle. The monarch sent messengers to the thunder-dragon in the roof [...]"''</ref>
 
It is implied Salt made a deal with the [[Presbyterate]] before the [[Echo Bazaar]] came to the Neath,<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/Your_Colony#Receive_an_Embassy|An understanding with the Presbyterate|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> and perhaps later made a deal with the Echo Bazaar itself,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/One_Last_Voyage%3F_(9_FATE)|One Last Voyage? (9 FATE)|Fallen London|}} ''"A Bazaar Permit has been affixed to the wall with a species of resin. In the section for 'Services Contracted', the notary has scrawled the words TRAVELLER RETURNING."''</ref> but neither claim is confirmed.
 
=== The Horizon's Road ===
<blockquote>''"Long ago, a traveller went East, seeking something that could not be found in the black and starry kingdoms of the High Wilderness, nor in the irrigo temptations of the Nadir. Not in the glow of the Forge nor the crushing silence of the Unterzee deeps. Not in the shapeling citadels, not in the light of the South, not of the Sundered Sea. The traveller went East, and others may follow."''<ref name = "fumbling"/></blockquote>
 
<blockquote>''"To travel is to change. Travel further; change more. This is the winnowing before the spring, the shearing of selves; the cold scarring of alteration. A stranger savours a warm breeze on a golden shore, and forgets all that they no longer are."''<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Release_your_Uttermost_Eel_into_the_waters|Release your Uttermost Eel into the waters|Fallen London|}}</ref></blockquote>


Amid the forests and the mountains of the East,<ref name=":14" /> it dreams of the stars it left behind, and strives to forget its old home by contemplating its new domain.<ref name=":1" /> It is now perpetually in movement and yet standing still,<ref name=":10" /><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Look|Look|Fallen London|}}</ref> calling those who wish to explore the last horizon.<ref name=":11" /> One day, it will rise to fight [[the White]]<ref name=":14" /> - but there is no happy ending.<ref name=":12" />
Salt may have wandered the [[Neath]] to satisfy its "need,"<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/Carnelian_Exile#Speak_to_the_Carnelian_Exile|Speak to the Exile about the "Name's prison"|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> but no place it visited provided fulfillment.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/The_Corridors_of_Frostfound#The_Dark_Room|Fumble in the darkness|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> However, Salt looked East and was fascinated by the horizon.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/Green_and_Gold|Once, you said… "I cannot rest until I've crossed the last horizon."|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> Seeking the answer to its need,<ref name = "go east"/> Salt changed itself completely and utterly,<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/The_Corridors_of_Frostfound#The_Emerald_Vista|Peer into the depths|Sunless Sea|}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Release_your_Uttermost_Eel_into_the_waters|Release your Uttermost Eel into the waters|Fallen London|}} ''"To travel is to change. Travel further; change more. [...] the winnowing before the spring, the shearing of selves; the cold scarring of alteration."''</ref> leaving behind the last remnants of its former self,<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/The_Corridors_of_Frostfound#The_Dark_Room|Harvest a Star-Shell|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> and the '''Name-Which-Burns''',<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/Letters_of_the_Name-Which-Burns#Quality_description|Quality description|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> in [[Frostfound]].<ref name = "return"/>
[[File:Worldsend interior.png|alt=A landscape with mountains in a dark sky, with a sea lit from below.|thumb|[[The Uttermost East]]]]
Salt's current status and future are unclear. It is said that Salt rests on the shore of the [[The Uttermost East|Uttermost East]], recalling the stars it left behind.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/Irem#Location_description|Voyage of the Snow Child|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> It is said that Salt forgot all that it previously was.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Release_your_Uttermost_Eel_into_the_waters|Release your Uttermost Eel into the waters|Fallen London|}} ''"A stranger savours a warm breeze on a golden shore, and forgets all that they no longer are."''</ref> It is said that Salt will sail onward, seeking new horizons.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/Green_and_Gold|Once, you said… "The zee is my only home."|Sunless Sea|}}</ref>


Salt is sometimes called '''the Sun-Beneath-the-Sea'''.<ref name="salt">{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/The_Sun_beneath_the_Sea|The Sun beneath the Sea|Sunless Sea|}}</ref>
It is also rumored that the traveler is always returning.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/The_Name-Which-Burns|The last letter: the East|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> It is rumored that one day, Salt will arrive at [[Kingeater's Castle]],<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/Kingeater%27s_Castle#Interactions|The Sixth Witness|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> triggering an event that will change ''everything''.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/Secrets_Wrapped_in_Blood_and_Bone#Interactions|Ask the Sixth Witness' Question|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> It is rumored that one day, a traveler will rise to face the [[The White|White]] in his palace of poisoned crystal.<ref name = "return home"/>


==References==
==References==

Revision as of 00:05, 31 July 2022

"A zailor has grown fretful and disobedient, reluctant to go on deck, even in port."

"There's a white zee-bat watching me up there. Salt's messenger. Salt's got its eye on me. I'll never see home again!"[1]

Salt is one of the three Gods of the Unterzee. Its domain is the Uttermost East.

The God of Farewells

"Out here, a captain needs all the help he can get. Even from sad strange gods of farewells."[2]

A dark sea.
The Unterzee

Salt is a God of the Unterzee and dwells to the Uttermost East.[3] It is the nameless god of farewells[2] and of the horizon.[4] It is fond of change[5] and associated with travels,[6][7] and may embody the Unterzee itself.[8]

Salt's presence may be marked by a light from the horizon or a sea breeze, both from the East.[3][2] It may provoke intense melancholy[9] or convey prescient[10] dreams.[11][12] Lost faces are sacred to Salt,[13] and it is associated with the phrase "TRAVELLER RETURNING".[14] It can apparently transmute matter, such as flesh into salt, but this is rarely seen.[15]

A bat.
A zee-bat.

White zee-bats are Salt's messengers. Being watched by a white zee-bat is an ill omen, as the subject may never reach home again.[1] Feeding a white zee-bat will incur Salt's favor and cause other strange occurances,[16] while harming one will incur Salt's wrath.[17]

Salt's Song, and its light, tempt travelers to venture East, especially if they lack a home.[18][3] Salt's humming[19] permeates the wind near the Eastern zee[20] and the sound of the zee's waves,[8] giving listeners strange dreams of its domain.[21] Anyone who zails too far East will find themselves under Salt's scrutiny, which silences all sound.[22] Salt's light will bloom from the Unterzee, and any unworthy travelers will be forced to turn back.[23]

Salt appears to be connected in some way to Irem[3] and Kingeater's Castle,[24][25] but the details are unclear.

Worship

"The face of the northern sphinx is all but gone. Lost faces are sacred to Salt, they say. You are drawn there. To what end? Salt's voice is distant, but clear..."[26]

A temple near the side of a cliff.
The House of the Question

Salt is worshiped by zailors,[27] who make offerings to it by dropping treasures,[28] such as moon-pearls, to the Unterzee.[29] Zailors also maintain shrines[27] to Salt that may resemble a salt circle and arrow of chalk.[2] The House of the Question in Whither has a shrine to Salt with walls inscribed with stories. Providing stories for the shrine grants Salt's favor, but seeing where the tale will be written is considered bad luck.[30]

Salt's favor has varying effects. It may provide strange knowledge when beseeched,[31] and its voice may hint of treasure near its hallowed places.[26] However, in times of crisis, Salt has its own ideas of "help". This includes summoning a Tyrant-Moth to accost the unlucky.[32]

Salt's Curse

"You won't take me? Well, you'll take my curse! Salt, witness me! My curse on this captain without charity! Others will abandon you, as you abandoned me! Curse you! Curse you!"[33]

A half-sunken ship.
The Nocturne. Beware.

Salt's curse is feared by zailors; they'd rather sacrifice transgressors to the Unterzee than risk its effects.[34] The curse may be inflicted by harming white zee-bats,[17] or stealing from partially-submerged shipwrecks.[35][36] Zailors can invoke the curse on others as punishment. Methods include a ritual of speech, blood, and spit,[33] complex sign language,[37] or written cursing-signs.[38]

The effects of Salt's curse are dire: a victim may find their family gone upon returning home. They may receive the comfort of a farewell note,[39][40] or their loved ones might vanish entirely, leaving behind nary a trace besides Salt's mark.[41]

Lifting Salt's curse is possible in the House of the Question. The process is unclear, but a white flower petal is given afterwards to symbolize the curse lifting.[42]

The Traveler's Journey

"Are you quite sure you want to know this?"

Beyond this point lie major spoilers for Fallen London, Sunless Sea, Sunless Skies, or Mask of the Rose. This may include endgame or major Fate-locked spoilers. Proceed at your own risk.

You can find out more about our spoiler policy here.


"Recall who sent you here. That fierce old thing in the dark."

"Find her, and you will find the treasures. Go down. You need only take a little. My aid is cheap. You will have what I promised."[43]

A star surrounded by snowflakes.
The White

Long ago, Salt was an exiled Judgement of the High Wilderness.[44] Salt visited the palace of the White[45] and received a task: find what the Sun had hid in the Neath,[46] perhaps Stone herself?[47][48] The White promised a treasure at the end of the search, and may have promised some other boon. Salt did not know anything about the Neath at the time,[43] and worried it may never come back from the journey. Regardless, a "need" drove Salt to accept.[45]

En route to the Neath, Salt was hunted down[49] by beasts of the High Wilderness. Salt slaughtered them all, leaving their enormous carcasses to drift in space.[50] Salt then entered the Neath in a painful process,[51] which may have involved the Red Science.[52]

The Castle of Ice

"Long ago a hungry monarch built a castle. The monarch saw a light in the south, in the palace of the south's queen. In those days, hungry as the monarch was, that light provoked nothing but appetite. But she was too far to devour. Over time, their correspondence calmed the monarch, and when the time came for the monarch to depart, the monarch's appetite was transformed, like blood into tears."[53]

A castle of ice with two towers.
Frostfound

When Salt entered the Neath, it rode a "dead wind" from the North. It built a castle of ice out of its memories[25] that would later be called Frostfound.[54] Salt was famished, and saw Stone's light to the South, finding it appetizing. But Stone was too far to reach, so Salt corresponded with her instead. Their exchanges calmed Salt, and over time, its hunger was transformed, like "blood into tears."[55]

Salt also sent several messengers, including beings from Axile, to communicate with Storm, but Storm devoured them. Salt then found Storm's name, and Storm had to bear heed. What transpired next is unknown, but it was not beneficial to either of them.[56]

It is implied Salt made a deal with the Presbyterate before the Echo Bazaar came to the Neath,[57] and perhaps later made a deal with the Echo Bazaar itself,[58] but neither claim is confirmed.

The Horizon's Road

"Long ago, a traveller went East, seeking something that could not be found in the black and starry kingdoms of the High Wilderness, nor in the irrigo temptations of the Nadir. Not in the glow of the Forge nor the crushing silence of the Unterzee deeps. Not in the shapeling citadels, not in the light of the South, not of the Sundered Sea. The traveller went East, and others may follow."[53]

"To travel is to change. Travel further; change more. This is the winnowing before the spring, the shearing of selves; the cold scarring of alteration. A stranger savours a warm breeze on a golden shore, and forgets all that they no longer are."[59]

Salt may have wandered the Neath to satisfy its "need,"[60] but no place it visited provided fulfillment.[61] However, Salt looked East and was fascinated by the horizon.[62] Seeking the answer to its need,[6] Salt changed itself completely and utterly,[63][64] leaving behind the last remnants of its former self,[65] and the Name-Which-Burns,[66] in Frostfound.[14]

A landscape with mountains in a dark sky, with a sea lit from below.
The Uttermost East

Salt's current status and future are unclear. It is said that Salt rests on the shore of the Uttermost East, recalling the stars it left behind.[67] It is said that Salt forgot all that it previously was.[68] It is said that Salt will sail onward, seeking new horizons.[69]

It is also rumored that the traveler is always returning.[70] It is rumored that one day, Salt will arrive at Kingeater's Castle,[71] triggering an event that will change everything.[72] It is rumored that one day, a traveler will rise to face the White in his palace of poisoned crystal.[46]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Story description, Sunless Sea
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Permit it, Sunless Sea
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 The Colonists will look East, Sunless Sea
  4. Event description, Sunless Sea
  5. Aestival, Sunless Sea
  6. 6.0 6.1 Fumble in the darkness, Sunless Sea "Long ago, a traveller went East, seeking something [...]"
  7. Bread and Salt, Sunless Sea
  8. 8.0 8.1 Shut off every light aboard; full steam ahead!, Fallen London
  9. Event description, Sunless Sea
  10. Rescue a New Jonah, Sunless Sea
  11. The New Jonah, Sunless Sea
  12. A blessing, Sunless Sea
  13. Salt's Rites, Sunless Sea
  14. 14.0 14.1 TRAVELLER RETURNING, Sunless Sea
  15. The Sixth Witness, Sunless Sea
  16. Feed the zee-bat, Sunless Sea
  17. 17.0 17.1 Shoot the zee-bat, Sunless Sea
  18. Bread and Salt, Sunless Sea
  19. Feel the soil, Fallen London "[...] something is humming, and you are humming with it [...]"
  20. Eastern Wind, Fallen London
  21. Look, Fallen London
  22. The surrounding light, Sunless Sea
  23. The light below, Sunless Sea
  24. Allow the Gall-Eyed Engineer to go ashore, Sunless Sea
  25. 25.0 25.1 Lose your mind, Sunless Sea
  26. 26.0 26.1 Salt's Rites, Sunless Sea
  27. 27.0 27.1 Event description, Sunless Sea
  28. Throw the box in the sea, as an offering to Salt, Sunless Sea
  29. Approaching the Pillared Sea, Fallen London
  30. Gain Salt's Attention, Sunless Sea
  31. Prayer to the god called Salt, Sunless Sea
  32. Make a sacrifice to Salt, Sunless Sea
  33. 33.0 33.1 Leave him here, Sunless Sea
  34. Board this empty mausoleum, Sunless Sea
  35. A little bonus, Sunless Sea
  36. A mystery unresolved, Sunless Sea
  37. Refuse it, Sunless Sea
  38. Let him off with a warning, Sunless Sea
  39. A letter from the Dapper Chap, Sunless Sea
  40. An official notice from the Foreign Office, Sunless Sea
  41. Appalling news, Sunless Sea
  42. Lift Salt's Curse, Sunless Sea
  43. 43.0 43.1 The fifth letter: the White, Sunless Sea
  44. Items description, Sunless Sea
  45. 45.0 45.1 The sixth letter: a palace of poisoned crystal, Sunless Sea
  46. 46.0 46.1 Once, you said… "The zee is wide, but I'll always return home.", Sunless Sea
  47. Listen to the Mountain tell its stories, Fallen London
  48. Dump it on the fire, Fallen London
  49. Enter the Amethyst Gallery, Sunless Sea "You are the centre of hunters' attention [...]"
  50. The Amethyst Gallery, Sunless Sea
  51. TRAVELLER RETURNING, Sunless Sea "The third letter. When you came below, you knew it would hurt, but not this much."
  52. Surrender to the traces of horror, Sunless Sea
  53. 53.0 53.1 Fumble in the darkness, Sunless Sea
  54. Reach out and touch it, Fallen London "–a castle of ice for a hungry monarch–"
  55. Fumble in the darkness, Sunless Sea "Long ago a hungry monarch built a castle. The monarch saw a light in the south [...]"
  56. Fumble in the darkness, Sunless Sea "Long ago a hungry monarch built a castle. The monarch sent messengers to the thunder-dragon in the roof [...]"
  57. An understanding with the Presbyterate, Sunless Sea
  58. One Last Voyage? (9 FATE), Fallen London "A Bazaar Permit has been affixed to the wall with a species of resin. In the section for 'Services Contracted', the notary has scrawled the words TRAVELLER RETURNING."
  59. Release your Uttermost Eel into the waters, Fallen London
  60. Speak to the Exile about the "Name's prison", Sunless Sea
  61. Fumble in the darkness, Sunless Sea
  62. Once, you said… "I cannot rest until I've crossed the last horizon.", Sunless Sea
  63. Peer into the depths, Sunless Sea
  64. Release your Uttermost Eel into the waters, Fallen London "To travel is to change. Travel further; change more. [...] the winnowing before the spring, the shearing of selves; the cold scarring of alteration."
  65. Harvest a Star-Shell, Sunless Sea
  66. Quality description, Sunless Sea
  67. Voyage of the Snow Child, Sunless Sea
  68. Release your Uttermost Eel into the waters, Fallen London "A stranger savours a warm breeze on a golden shore, and forgets all that they no longer are."
  69. Once, you said… "The zee is my only home.", Sunless Sea
  70. The last letter: the East, Sunless Sea
  71. The Sixth Witness, Sunless Sea
  72. Ask the Sixth Witness' Question, Sunless Sea