Anthe: Difference between revisions
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{{Neath_Location|image1 = Anthe.png|caption1 = | {{Neath_Location|image1 = Anthe.png|caption1 = |location = [[The Unterzee|Palmerston's Reach]]|alias = The City of Flowers<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/Ambition:_Seeking_Lytton:_Anthe|Interaction description|Sunless Sea|}} ''"Seek Lytton in Anthe, the City of Flowers."''</ref>|allegiance = |music = [https://failbettergames.bandcamp.com/track/infernal Infernal]|notable_inhabitants = [[Rosina]]}}<blockquote>''"They call it the city of flowers, but the flowers are crystals, spiral matrices grown on the walls of Anthean caves. The inhabitants of Anthe are at least partly crystal too: they call it "going sharp." Becoming more perfect, and clearer, and colder."''<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/Anthe|Port Description|Sunless Sea|}}</ref></blockquote> | ||
'''Anthe''' is a city of crystal located under the [[Unterzee]].__forcetoc__ | '''Anthe''' is a city of crystal located under the [[Unterzee]].__forcetoc__ |
Revision as of 16:48, 2 February 2025
"They call it the city of flowers, but the flowers are crystals, spiral matrices grown on the walls of Anthean caves. The inhabitants of Anthe are at least partly crystal too: they call it "going sharp." Becoming more perfect, and clearer, and colder."[2]
Anthe is a city of crystal located under the Unterzee.
Sharp
"I'm going sharp in the lungs next. They say you can smoke all day long and never develop a cough."[3]
Anthe is perhaps best described as a city in a cave-garden, except the vines, leaves, fruits, and flowers here are all made of crystal.[4][5] The inhabitants here are partially crystal as well; the process of crystalizing oneself is known as "going sharp."[6][7] Going sharp is possible thanks to Anthe's environment, but also requires significant mental fortitude,[8] or doses of certain chemicals.[9] Sharpened body parts are usually more skillful and disciplined than their fleshy equivalents, but also suffer from dulled sensation and desire.[10]

Antheans typically congregate exclusively with those who share their brand of sharpness,[11][12] and many travel here to improve their skills and pursue their ambitions.[13] Anthe also has a population of sharp Drownies, who reside away from the other citizens.[14] The city is additionally visited by Clay Men, who reside in a chamber called the Travertine Vault; these Clay Men seek to use sharpness to appear more trustworthy and desirable to employers in London.[15] Rosina of the Seven Against Nidah has taken refuge here seeking treatment for her animescence,[16] as have other sufferers of the disease.[17]

While Anthe's blessings are alluring to visitors,[18] going sharp is addictive, and many Antheans leave their old lives behind forever to pursue further "development."[19][20] It is also possible for sharpening to fail or have nasty side effects: Clay Men have difficulty going sharp and may end up with distorted crystalline patterns,[21] and one unlucky visitor to Anthe emerged with an unusually "delicate" sharpened hand, and a partially or improperly crystallized lung that left him coughing up shards.[22] Sharpness can be cured by visiting the living city of Polythreme,[23] though it can also be surgically excised.[24]
According to a historical tale in the archives of Scrimshander, a flower bloomed on the floor of the Unterzee, described as one that "any true lover would pluck for their beloved." Many dove below to retrieve this flower for their significant other, but either they died, or they were transfixed by its beauty and never returned.[25] It is not confirmed whether or how this story relates to Anthe.
Types of Sharpness
"A woman gives advice to new Antheans: her eyes are cubes of salt. She speaks of going sharp as a numbness, and as an awakening; as the loss of sensation and the beginning of insight. Some Antheans use other metaphors. Clarity. Dryness. Regularity and structure."[26]
"Your spleen is a hexagonal crystal."[27]
The many flavors of sharpness include, but are not limited to:

- Sharpness of the spleen: Dulls a person's ability to feel anger.[28] Desired by diplomats and others who prefer a cool head.[29]
- Sharpness of the liver: Provides an immunity to poisons. Desired by those who work with toxins, such as assassins.[30]
- Sharpness of the lungs: Slows the need for breath and provides an immunity to poisonous gases. Desired by coal miners, smokers, singers, and divers.[31][32]
- Sharpness of the groin: Enhances sexual performance at the cost of diminishing passion. Sought out by the celibate and those who provide sexual company.[33]
- Sharpness of the tongue: Improves clarity and articulation of speech, at the cost of tact. Desired by poets and other wordsmiths, as well as liars and secret agents.[34][35]
- Sharpness of the skeleton: Improves bone durability, but may lead to injuries in scenarios where one's bones do anything other than break.[36] Desired by laborers and those seeking endurance.[37]
- Sharpness of the skin: Improves the resistance of skin, at the cost of turning it transparent.[38][39] Desired by fighters and people who live dangerously honest lives.[40] Those with sharp skin do not typically leave Anthe, and often wear disguises to conceal their strange appearances when they do.[41][42]
Other body parts may be sharpened, including one's ears,[43] teeth,[44] hands,[19] or bowels.[45] It is mentioned that sharp hands and fingers are a boon for the dexterous (like nurses and watchmakers)[46][19] and sharp bowels reduce or remove the need for food,[45] but the full effects of these are unknown.
Anthe has numerous chambers in which the sharp gather to test their abilities.[47] These include, but are not limited to:

- The Venous Salon, where the sharp-spleened show off by reading offensive literature while remaining stoic.[48]
- The Salon of Silver Salts, where those with crystal livers consume dangerous poisons and substances.[49]
- The Salon of Incense, where the barb-lunged languish in a cloud of thick incense.[50]
- The Chamber of Pillow-Cut Rock, a room of soft-looking stone where the bristle-groined gather.[51]
- Tongue-Point Pinnacle, where the hard-tongued converse in crystal-clear language.[52]
- The Bone-Barrow, where those with crystal skeletons show off their strength by holding up a slowly collapsing ceiling.[53]
- The Blistering Abyss, where those with transparent skin expose themselves to danger for amusement.[54]
- The Shell, a concert hall made out of a giant oyster used by the sharp-lunged and sharp-tongued singers of Anthe.[55]
- The Granite Corridor, reserved for intriguers and assassins with crystal tongues and other sharpnesses.[56][57]
- The Smokehouse, where those with sharp livers and lungs indulge in drinks and smokables without limit.[58]
- The Dauntless Palate, a challenge-club for those immune to nearly every single manner of poison thanks to their sharp skin, livers, and tongues.[59]
The Sharpest
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"As for the inhabitants who are sharp throughout their full bodies, they don't circulate much. There is said to be a cavern, broad and shallow-floored, where the perfectly sharp grow old together. They aren't capable of anyone else's company any more — at least, that's what you're told, and you can hardly go and ask. At any rate they are more like growing crystals than like people, slowly expanding and bonding with the rock."[60]
"It is a cavern of giants. They were all at one time men or women or other creatures you might meet familiarly on a London street. But they are larger now, grown like oaks into the cavern floor. Their bodies are clear as lens-glass. Their faces are past the necessity of expression. They are your superiors, but you have come far enough that they are willing to help you if you wish."[61]

The Sharpest are Antheans whose bodies have fully crystallized. They live in a cavern away from the other citizens,[62] and can no longer be called human: they have grown to a gigantic size, their faces are rigid and inexpressive, and they are fused to the floor like crystallized trees.[63] However, they are still capable of moving and interacting with others, though they may come off as distant.[64] If approached by a sufficiently advanced student,[65] they will provide instruction on turning the most difficult parts of the body sharp, at the expense of all other sharpnesses.[66]
- Sharpness of the eyes: Requires the drying of the eyes and turns them into cubes. Improves perception.[67][68]
- Sharpness of the brain: Improves wit, intellect, and comprehension of both truths and untruths.[69] Grants a crystal-clad will against mental manipulation.[70]
- Sharpness of the muscles: Improves strength and durability.[71]
- Sharpness of the heart: Bolsters emotional intelligence and resilience from heartbreak. Enables a perfect balance between care and wisdom.[72]
References
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