The Well of the Wolf: Difference between revisions
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==The Bandstand== | ==The Bandstand== | ||
<blockquote>''"The journey to the bandstand is bleak and exposed. The well waits on either side. If you look down, you imagine movement in its caliginous depths. A temptation wells in you to fling yourself from the ice and into the abysm. You avert your eyes, swiftly."''<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.fandom.com/wiki/The_Bandstand#Story_description|Story description|Sunless Skies|}}</ref></blockquote> | |||
The main point of interest around the Well is the congregation of rag-wearing, silent devils who live in a system of hexagonal caves located at the rim of the Well.<ref>{{citation|https://sunlessskies.fandom.com/wiki/Well_of_the_Wolf|Speak to the congregation of devils|Sunless Skies|}}''"You ask about their lives here. Silence. When you persist, one steps forward and opens his mouth as wide as he can. Plainsong emerges: sweet, with a sonorous drone. The devil's lips and tongue aren't moving – the song is coming from deeper in his throat."''</ref><ref>{{citation|https://sunlessskies.fandom.com/wiki/Well_of_the_Wolf|The Well of the Wolf|Sunless Skies|}}''"Away from the edge, a cluster of hexagonal cave-mouths perforate an icy cliff-face. The yellow eyes of devils gleam inside them."''</ref> The devils that come here "retire" by allowing giant '''chorister bees''' to enter their chest cavities through their mouths,<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.fandom.com/wiki/Well_of_the_Wolf#The_Well_of_the_Wolf|Deposit the Infernal Philatelist|Sunless Skies|}} ''"He takes the bee from the cage and you watch as his jaw [...] opening wider and wider and wider. The curious bee crawls inside, pushing unidentifiable organs aside to make room. Then the devil's mouth returns [...] the Philatelist sings with the bee's sweet, wordless voice. [...] He is part of the choir, now."''</ref><ref name="step">{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.fandom.com/wiki/Well_of_the_Wolf#The_Well_of_the_Wolf|Speak to the congregation of devils|Sunless Skies|}} ''"[...] one steps forward and opens his mouth as wide as he can. Plainsong emerges: sweet, with a sonorous drone. [...] The devil leans obligingly forward. You peer past his tongue, [...] see a large compound eye – insectoid, iridescent – peering back at you from his chest cavity."''</ref> sacrificing their voices to let the bees sing through them.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.fandom.com/wiki/Well_of_the_Wolf#The_Well_of_the_Wolf|Give the Patchwork Devil her bee|Sunless Skies|}} ''"You open the bee's cage. "Thank you," [...] They are the last words she ever speaks. Her mouth opens extraordinarily wide. [...] The bee crawls frantically into the opening, down her throat, and nestles in her chest cavity. The Devil's mouth returns to its usual size, then emits a single seraphic note."''</ref> | The main point of interest around the Well is the congregation of rag-wearing, silent devils who live in a system of hexagonal caves located at the rim of the Well.<ref>{{citation|https://sunlessskies.fandom.com/wiki/Well_of_the_Wolf|Speak to the congregation of devils|Sunless Skies|}}''"You ask about their lives here. Silence. When you persist, one steps forward and opens his mouth as wide as he can. Plainsong emerges: sweet, with a sonorous drone. The devil's lips and tongue aren't moving – the song is coming from deeper in his throat."''</ref><ref>{{citation|https://sunlessskies.fandom.com/wiki/Well_of_the_Wolf|The Well of the Wolf|Sunless Skies|}}''"Away from the edge, a cluster of hexagonal cave-mouths perforate an icy cliff-face. The yellow eyes of devils gleam inside them."''</ref> The devils that come here "retire" by allowing giant '''chorister bees''' to enter their chest cavities through their mouths,<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.fandom.com/wiki/Well_of_the_Wolf#The_Well_of_the_Wolf|Deposit the Infernal Philatelist|Sunless Skies|}} ''"He takes the bee from the cage and you watch as his jaw [...] opening wider and wider and wider. The curious bee crawls inside, pushing unidentifiable organs aside to make room. Then the devil's mouth returns [...] the Philatelist sings with the bee's sweet, wordless voice. [...] He is part of the choir, now."''</ref><ref name="step">{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.fandom.com/wiki/Well_of_the_Wolf#The_Well_of_the_Wolf|Speak to the congregation of devils|Sunless Skies|}} ''"[...] one steps forward and opens his mouth as wide as he can. Plainsong emerges: sweet, with a sonorous drone. [...] The devil leans obligingly forward. You peer past his tongue, [...] see a large compound eye – insectoid, iridescent – peering back at you from his chest cavity."''</ref> sacrificing their voices to let the bees sing through them.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.fandom.com/wiki/Well_of_the_Wolf#The_Well_of_the_Wolf|Give the Patchwork Devil her bee|Sunless Skies|}} ''"You open the bee's cage. "Thank you," [...] They are the last words she ever speaks. Her mouth opens extraordinarily wide. [...] The bee crawls frantically into the opening, down her throat, and nestles in her chest cavity. The Devil's mouth returns to its usual size, then emits a single seraphic note."''</ref> | ||
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==The Ur-Devil== | ==The Ur-Devil== | ||
<blockquote>''"This hymn is a hymn of suffering. The harmonies indicate a penultimate period; a period of punishment. The Choir-in-One (who was, you are now certain, an ur-devil) was – elaborated? Stretched? Hung? – above the well, from the spur of ice on which the bandstand now rests. The stars 'made a message of him,' (this part is unusually clear). In defiance, he gave away his voices, bestowing 'all but one of them upon his—' The next part might be 'creations' or 'aberrations' or 'amalgamies'. Apparently, this was not well received by 'those who judged'."''<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.fandom.com/wiki/The_Bandstand#Interactions|Listen to the third hymn|Sunless Skies|}}</ref></blockquote> | |||
'''The King of Carols''', also known as '''the Many-Mouthed''' and '''the Choir-in-One''',<ref>{{citation|https://sunlessskies.fandom.com/wiki/The_Bandstand|Listen to the first hymn|Sunless Skies|}}''"You are certain the rite is a lament, but struggle to identify who for, until you realise the congregation is using many names for one individual. [...] The Singular Choir? No – the Choir-in-One. The Many-Mouthed. The Master of— no. The King of Celebrants? No, the King of Carols. These are the names of the thing in the Well."''</ref> is a [[Grand Devil]]<ref name=":0">{{citation|https://sunlessskies.fandom.com/wiki/The_Bandstand|Listen to the third hymn|Sunless Skies|}}''"The harmonies indicate a penultimate period; a period of punishment. The Choir-in-One (who was, you are now certain, an ur-devil) was – elaborated? Stretched? Hung? – above the well [...] The stars 'made a message of him,' [...] In defiance, he gave away his voices, bestowing 'all but one of them upon his—' The next part might be 'creations' or 'aberrations' or 'amalgamies'. Apparently, this was not well received by 'those who judged'."''</ref><ref>{{citation|https://sunlessskies.fandom.com/wiki/The_Brazen_Brigade|Exchange Mysteries with the Curious Dilettante|Sunless Skies|}}''"... of the dances at the Feast of the King of Carols ..."''</ref> who protested long ago against the rule of the [[Judgements]] by refusing to use his many beautiful singing voices.<ref>{{citation|https://sunlessskies.fandom.com/wiki/The_Bandstand|Listen to the second hymn|Sunless Skies|}}</ref> In retaliation, the Judgements hung the King of Carols above the [[Well of the Wolf]] as a warning to anyone trying to oppose them.<ref name=":0" /> As a final act of defiance, the King of Carols gave away all but one of his voices to his creations, the [[Chorister Bees|chorister bees]].<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">{{citation|https://sunlessskies.fandom.com/wiki/Well_of_the_Wolf|Deposit the Abstemious Devil|Sunless Skies|}}''"'Long ago, the Many-Mouthed gave all but one of his voices to his creations. I require a single live chorister-bee.' ... She removes a book from her suitcase [...] The Choir-in-One and other Martyrs of the Cause."''</ref> For this he was forever imprisoned inside the Well. His upset subjects, the [[devils]], attempted rebellion against the [[Judgements]], with the King of Carols as a martyr for their cause.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{citation|https://sunlessskies.fandom.com/wiki/The_Bandstand|Listen to the fourth and final hymn|Sunless Skies|}}''"The Many-Mouthed was judged by the Regents in Gold, and cast into the well. His voices, all but the one he kept, 'were scattered to the hives'. His followers – 'the horned and brazen' – grieved, then raged, then rebelled. The Chain was broken. The fate of the uprising is unstated, but the sigils are melancholy. There is reference to an exodus, to 'a time of serpents'."''</ref> | '''The King of Carols''', also known as '''the Many-Mouthed''' and '''the Choir-in-One''',<ref>{{citation|https://sunlessskies.fandom.com/wiki/The_Bandstand|Listen to the first hymn|Sunless Skies|}}''"You are certain the rite is a lament, but struggle to identify who for, until you realise the congregation is using many names for one individual. [...] The Singular Choir? No – the Choir-in-One. The Many-Mouthed. The Master of— no. The King of Celebrants? No, the King of Carols. These are the names of the thing in the Well."''</ref> is a [[Grand Devil]]<ref name=":0">{{citation|https://sunlessskies.fandom.com/wiki/The_Bandstand|Listen to the third hymn|Sunless Skies|}}''"The harmonies indicate a penultimate period; a period of punishment. The Choir-in-One (who was, you are now certain, an ur-devil) was – elaborated? Stretched? Hung? – above the well [...] The stars 'made a message of him,' [...] In defiance, he gave away his voices, bestowing 'all but one of them upon his—' The next part might be 'creations' or 'aberrations' or 'amalgamies'. Apparently, this was not well received by 'those who judged'."''</ref><ref>{{citation|https://sunlessskies.fandom.com/wiki/The_Brazen_Brigade|Exchange Mysteries with the Curious Dilettante|Sunless Skies|}}''"... of the dances at the Feast of the King of Carols ..."''</ref> who protested long ago against the rule of the [[Judgements]] by refusing to use his many beautiful singing voices.<ref>{{citation|https://sunlessskies.fandom.com/wiki/The_Bandstand|Listen to the second hymn|Sunless Skies|}}</ref> In retaliation, the Judgements hung the King of Carols above the [[Well of the Wolf]] as a warning to anyone trying to oppose them.<ref name=":0" /> As a final act of defiance, the King of Carols gave away all but one of his voices to his creations, the [[Chorister Bees|chorister bees]].<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">{{citation|https://sunlessskies.fandom.com/wiki/Well_of_the_Wolf|Deposit the Abstemious Devil|Sunless Skies|}}''"'Long ago, the Many-Mouthed gave all but one of his voices to his creations. I require a single live chorister-bee.' ... She removes a book from her suitcase [...] The Choir-in-One and other Martyrs of the Cause."''</ref> For this he was forever imprisoned inside the Well. His upset subjects, the [[devils]], attempted rebellion against the [[Judgements]], with the King of Carols as a martyr for their cause.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{citation|https://sunlessskies.fandom.com/wiki/The_Bandstand|Listen to the fourth and final hymn|Sunless Skies|}}''"The Many-Mouthed was judged by the Regents in Gold, and cast into the well. His voices, all but the one he kept, 'were scattered to the hives'. His followers – 'the horned and brazen' – grieved, then raged, then rebelled. The Chain was broken. The fate of the uprising is unstated, but the sigils are melancholy. There is reference to an exodus, to 'a time of serpents'."''</ref> | ||
Revision as of 03:04, 2 June 2024
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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. |
"Don't look into the well, captain. The thing inside looks back."
"Mists spiral around the well's abysmal plunge. The movements induce intense nausea. A green-faced stoker rushes from your presence."[1]
The Well of the Wolf is a large sky-well located in the region of Albion. Its population consists mostly of unusually disheveled devils.[2]
The Bandstand
"The journey to the bandstand is bleak and exposed. The well waits on either side. If you look down, you imagine movement in its caliginous depths. A temptation wells in you to fling yourself from the ice and into the abysm. You avert your eyes, swiftly."[3]
The main point of interest around the Well is the congregation of rag-wearing, silent devils who live in a system of hexagonal caves located at the rim of the Well.[4][5] The devils that come here "retire" by allowing giant chorister bees to enter their chest cavities through their mouths,[6][7] sacrificing their voices to let the bees sing through them.[8]
The disheveled devils regularly convene at a dilapidated bandstand, where they honor the entity trapped inside the Well by dancing Correspondence sigils and letting the chorister bees make use of their voices.[9][10]
The Ur-Devil
"This hymn is a hymn of suffering. The harmonies indicate a penultimate period; a period of punishment. The Choir-in-One (who was, you are now certain, an ur-devil) was – elaborated? Stretched? Hung? – above the well, from the spur of ice on which the bandstand now rests. The stars 'made a message of him,' (this part is unusually clear). In defiance, he gave away his voices, bestowing 'all but one of them upon his—' The next part might be 'creations' or 'aberrations' or 'amalgamies'. Apparently, this was not well received by 'those who judged'."[11]
The King of Carols, also known as the Many-Mouthed and the Choir-in-One,[12] is a Grand Devil[13][14] who protested long ago against the rule of the Judgements by refusing to use his many beautiful singing voices.[15] In retaliation, the Judgements hung the King of Carols above the Well of the Wolf as a warning to anyone trying to oppose them.[13] As a final act of defiance, the King of Carols gave away all but one of his voices to his creations, the chorister bees.[13][16] For this he was forever imprisoned inside the Well. His upset subjects, the devils, attempted rebellion against the Judgements, with the King of Carols as a martyr for their cause.[16][17]
References
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