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Before entering the Bazaar’s service, Penstock was a zailor with no care for his own well-being, a past he does not speak of often.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Penstock|Penstock|Fallen London|}} ''"'Nerves still frayed. I miss the zee.' He swirls the liquid in his cup pensively. 'I was a reckless zailor. Didn't care overmuch if I lived or died. Nothing to care for, not even myself.'"''</ref> He also implies that he once participated in the [[Marvellous]].<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Key_to_your_Rooms_above_a_Gambling_Den Key to your Rooms above a Gambling Den, ''Fallen London''] ''Penstock smiles sadly. "Almost I long for the days of the Marvellous. But the Masters are not merciful."''</ref>
Before entering the Bazaar’s service, Penstock was a zailor with no care for his own well-being, a past he does not speak of often.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Penstock|Penstock|Fallen London|}} ''"'Nerves still frayed. I miss the zee.' He swirls the liquid in his cup pensively. 'I was a reckless zailor. Didn't care overmuch if I lived or died. Nothing to care for, not even myself.'"''</ref> He also implies that he once participated in the [[Marvellous]].<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Key_to_your_Rooms_above_a_Gambling_Den Key to your Rooms above a Gambling Den, ''Fallen London''] ''Penstock smiles sadly. "Almost I long for the days of the Marvellous. But the Masters are not merciful."''</ref>
==The Vicomte==
{{Spoiler}}<blockquote>''"I guess you know now that some contracts have fangs. And I might've incorporated a particularly hungry legal clause into this deed. The Vicomte de V_____? He's how an observer might, let's say, interpret such a clause. How the terms can manifest for a receptive mind. When you see him at your château, that's due to the copy you signed. But I've put the same clause into other contracts. Whatever he told you about our relationship, though, I'm not his servant."''<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Caveat_Emptor|Caveat Emptor|Fallen London|}}</ref></blockquote>[[File:Vicomte.jpeg|thumb|The Vicomte]]
Beyond his usual duties, Penstock bears another, more peculiar responsibility.
The Vicomte is a parasitic law—a sigil that feeds on love—bound to the Bazaar ever since it descended from the High Wilderness into the Neath.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Caveat_Emptor|Caveat Emptor|Fallen London|}}''"He's a real foreigner – if you follow. The Bazaar came from very far away. She brought a few things with her. Not on purpose. Like how a dog might pick up ticks out in the wilderness. The Vicomte de V_____, well, he's just like a tick. Like a tick that finally dropped off and purchased an aristocratic title."''</ref> The Bazaar, discovering the parasite on its person, also found that the Vicomte could also serve to cultivate love stories,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Caveat_Emptor|Caveat Emptor|Fallen London|}}''"One sigil differs from the rest. It oozes thick crimson fluid. "A parasitic law," says Penstock. "It doesn't just eat passion. It inspires passion. All those properties, with this legal clause worked into their contracts? Inspire passion too. Even if they nip a little. That's why she wants to spread it. London needs inspiration. You won't hold it against me, will you?" He lets out a sigh. "It wouldn't be the first time I've done something foolish for love.""''</ref> To that end, it tasked Penstock with embedding copies of the sigil into property deeds, ensuring the Vicomte’s continued influence.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Caveat_Emptor|Caveat Emptor|Fallen London|}}''"I guess you know now that some contracts have fangs. And I might've incorporated a particularly hungry legal clause into this deed. The Vicomte de V_____? He's how an observer might, let's say, interpret such a clause. How the terms can manifest for a receptive mind. When you see him at your château, that's due to the copy you signed. But I've put the same clause into other contracts. Whatever he told you about our relationship, though, I'm not his servant."''</ref> However, the Vicomte requires a link to the Bazaar to manifest, and so Penstock has another, far less dignified duty: collecting the Bazaar’s Nightsoil—its excrement—packing it into empty [[Heartmetal|Soothe & Cooper Long-Boxes]], and personally delivering it to the Vicomte’s residences.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Caveat_Emptor|Caveat Emptor|Fallen London|}}''"He needs to maintain a'' connection''. That's what the samples are for. Nightsoil of the Bazaar. As his property agent, it's my job to move nightsoil onto his estates. Without it, the Vicomte couldn't stay at his own addresses."''</ref>
Penstock resents the Vicomte’s intimate bond with the Bazaar.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Caveat_Emptor|Caveat Emptor|Fallen London|}}''"A connection. Right," says Penstock. Is that jealousy you detect? Whatever it is, Penstock smiles sadly, and the impression is gone.''</ref> The creature is, after all, quite literally attached to her. Worse still, age has made the labor of hauling boxes of refuse increasingly unbearable. He longs to be rid of the Vicomte, yet he cannot act against it directly—tampering with the original sigil could harm the Bazaar itself. But if someone else were to take matters into their own hands... well, Penstock might just look the other way.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Caveat_Emptor|Caveat Emptor|Fallen London|}}''"I couldn't have done that myself," he says, wiping his forehead with a handkerchief. "Even now, I'm not sure how well she'll take it. But something had to happen. I'm getting too old to drag long-boxes around. If the estates weren't prepared, you see, the deeds with the sigil wouldn't stick. You can keep this one. I won't be transporting much nightsoil again."''</ref>
==References==
==References==
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[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Human]]
[[Category:Human]]

Revision as of 07:12, 18 February 2025

"He stoops like a clerk and coughs like a miner. But that frock-coat is of the finest fabric and the newest cut. “My name is Penstock,” he says."[1]

Penstock manages Penstock’s Land Agency, a modest office situated on the eastern flank of the Bazaar.[2] Officially, he inspects, purchases, and sells property.[3] But beneath the Agency lies the Sundered Sea: the vast reservoir that serves as the Bazaar’s lacre-vats.[4] Access to this hidden expanse is granted only through Penstock’s Wicket, an entrance guarded by Penstock himself, leading to the depths below via a ramshackle elevator.[5]

Penstock wields absolute control over access to the lacre-vats; even other servants of the Bazaar must seek his permission.[6][7] In this capacity, he was responsible for facilitating Lilac Clathermont's past affairs.[8] Every Christmas, he permits an array of Londoners to descend into the Sea, giving them a rare opportunity to commune with the Bazaar.[9]

While deeply loyal, Penstock also sincerely loves the Bazaar;[10] he is intensely concerned for its mental and physical well-being[11] and objects to its use of sphinxstone, which exacerbates its melancholy.[12][13] His appearance reflects his burdens: tired eyes, a sallow complexion, hunched posture, a persistent cough.[14] Thanks to his proximity to the Sea, he also smells of ammonia and despair.[15] Despite his devotion, Penstock considers caring for someone to be the most terrible burden of all.[16]

Before entering the Bazaar’s service, Penstock was a zailor with no care for his own well-being, a past he does not speak of often.[17] He also implies that he once participated in the Marvellous.[18]

The Vicomte

"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.


"I guess you know now that some contracts have fangs. And I might've incorporated a particularly hungry legal clause into this deed. The Vicomte de V_____? He's how an observer might, let's say, interpret such a clause. How the terms can manifest for a receptive mind. When you see him at your château, that's due to the copy you signed. But I've put the same clause into other contracts. Whatever he told you about our relationship, though, I'm not his servant."[19]

The Vicomte

Beyond his usual duties, Penstock bears another, more peculiar responsibility.

The Vicomte is a parasitic law—a sigil that feeds on love—bound to the Bazaar ever since it descended from the High Wilderness into the Neath.[20] The Bazaar, discovering the parasite on its person, also found that the Vicomte could also serve to cultivate love stories,[21] To that end, it tasked Penstock with embedding copies of the sigil into property deeds, ensuring the Vicomte’s continued influence.[22] However, the Vicomte requires a link to the Bazaar to manifest, and so Penstock has another, far less dignified duty: collecting the Bazaar’s Nightsoil—its excrement—packing it into empty Soothe & Cooper Long-Boxes, and personally delivering it to the Vicomte’s residences.[23]

Penstock resents the Vicomte’s intimate bond with the Bazaar.[24] The creature is, after all, quite literally attached to her. Worse still, age has made the labor of hauling boxes of refuse increasingly unbearable. He longs to be rid of the Vicomte, yet he cannot act against it directly—tampering with the original sigil could harm the Bazaar itself. But if someone else were to take matters into their own hands... well, Penstock might just look the other way.[25]

References

  1. ↑ A dusty gentleman, Sunless Sea
  2. ↑ Go with her, Fallen London "Penstock's Land Agency: a modest office in an immodest location, hard against the eastern flank of the Bazaar - that spired fortress of commerce that towers over London. Penstock stoops like a clerk and coughs like a miner, but his eyes are very wise."
  3. ↑ Sell your Mansion, Sunless Sea Penstock, the land agent, looks over the Mansion with a gloomy eye. “Roof's going,” he suggests. “But it's a good size, I suppose.”
  4. ↑ A Sundered Sea, Fallen London "Sigils beat in the ceiling of these caverns [...] the lacre spuming below takes the red light and returns it, somehow, as purest white. Distance is difficult to judge, but this space would handily absorb a cathedral or two. It's a second sea, but a divided one. The lacre foams in cells and pits [...]"
  5. ↑ Pass the Wicket and descend, Fallen London "'Downstairs' is a redly lit grotto hollowed from the carapace of the Bazaar. A heavily chained cage-lift awaits you at the back. Penstock unlocks it: his hands are trembling."
  6. ↑ Practical Numismatics, Fallen London "[...] the Efficient Commissioner […] has filled kegs of lacre, with Penstock's permission. [...]"
  7. ↑ Mr Sacks! Take this pail of... snow? 2, Fallen London "The lacre is of the quality I might have expected. Yes, indeed. Not generous, but sufficient. […] I shall commend you to Penstock, should that time come." It snares it […]. What's this it's left behind? Since when does Mr Sacks leave gifts?
  8. ↑ Go with her, Fallen London "There is another sea beneath the Bazaar," Penstock declares. "A paler sea. Yes, I would imagine you might make the bargain your mother made. Yes, I helped her go down there. But she took a terrible chance even then... and the Bazaar is not well. Not now. Are you certain?" (Said in conversation with Maybe's Daughter.)
  9. ↑ Penstock's Wicket, Fallen London "She's been expecting you," […] "Would you like to come downztairs?"
  10. ↑ Talk about the Courier 2, Fallen London "Is that so strange? Perhaps. But I'm not the only one. Penstock, too. There are others... some of us came to it naturally, some with assistance. But the passion in those spires!" […] a curl of hair falls across her cheek. "It cannot be denied forever."
  11. ↑ Confer with Penstock, Fallen London "Penstock is the Bazaar's faithful servant, always concerned for the Bazaar's welfare and its state of mind. He has views on the debt."
  12. ↑ Did you detect the intrusion of a nautical 'z' into his greeting?, Fallen London He jumps, as if you'd performed some impossible act of witchcraft. "How did you—? Yes. […] I was moved to intercede against this Station IV villainy." Anger blushes […] "They're feeding old memories into the lacre-vats. Go below, and smell for yourself."
  13. ↑ Penstock's Plea, Sunless Sea “The Bazaar has been feasting on old memories from the Salt Lions. It only makes her more melancholy, and that's worse for all of us... but especially those who love her. So we've found another use for the Sphinxstone. We can set something right.”
  14. ↑ A dusty gentleman, Sunless Sea "Tired eyes, sallow skin. He stoops like a clerk and coughs like a miner. But that frock-coat is of the finest fabric and the newest cut. “My name is Penstock,” he says."
  15. ↑ Reject his plea, Sunless Sea "He smells of ammonia and sadness. You should go somewhere that does not smell of those things."
  16. ↑ Penstock, Fallen London "There's no worse burden than caring for someone. Can't say I recommend it."
  17. ↑ Penstock, Fallen London "'Nerves still frayed. I miss the zee.' He swirls the liquid in his cup pensively. 'I was a reckless zailor. Didn't care overmuch if I lived or died. Nothing to care for, not even myself.'"
  18. ↑ Key to your Rooms above a Gambling Den, Fallen London Penstock smiles sadly. "Almost I long for the days of the Marvellous. But the Masters are not merciful."
  19. ↑ Caveat Emptor, Fallen London
  20. ↑ Caveat Emptor, Fallen London "He's a real foreigner – if you follow. The Bazaar came from very far away. She brought a few things with her. Not on purpose. Like how a dog might pick up ticks out in the wilderness. The Vicomte de V_____, well, he's just like a tick. Like a tick that finally dropped off and purchased an aristocratic title."
  21. ↑ Caveat Emptor, Fallen London "One sigil differs from the rest. It oozes thick crimson fluid. "A parasitic law," says Penstock. "It doesn't just eat passion. It inspires passion. All those properties, with this legal clause worked into their contracts? Inspire passion too. Even if they nip a little. That's why she wants to spread it. London needs inspiration. You won't hold it against me, will you?" He lets out a sigh. "It wouldn't be the first time I've done something foolish for love.""
  22. ↑ Caveat Emptor, Fallen London "I guess you know now that some contracts have fangs. And I might've incorporated a particularly hungry legal clause into this deed. The Vicomte de V_____? He's how an observer might, let's say, interpret such a clause. How the terms can manifest for a receptive mind. When you see him at your château, that's due to the copy you signed. But I've put the same clause into other contracts. Whatever he told you about our relationship, though, I'm not his servant."
  23. ↑ Caveat Emptor, Fallen London "He needs to maintain a connection. That's what the samples are for. Nightsoil of the Bazaar. As his property agent, it's my job to move nightsoil onto his estates. Without it, the Vicomte couldn't stay at his own addresses."
  24. ↑ Caveat Emptor, Fallen London "A connection. Right," says Penstock. Is that jealousy you detect? Whatever it is, Penstock smiles sadly, and the impression is gone.
  25. ↑ Caveat Emptor, Fallen London "I couldn't have done that myself," he says, wiping his forehead with a handkerchief. "Even now, I'm not sure how well she'll take it. But something had to happen. I'm getting too old to drag long-boxes around. If the estates weren't prepared, you see, the deeds with the sigil wouldn't stick. You can keep this one. I won't be transporting much nightsoil again."
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