Caution: Difference between revisions
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*'''Boars''' write the histories of Caution on the spires' roots, using blood to ensure the spires are well-nourished. They typically use blood from the Bleeding Forest, but also add a bit of human and Beast blood. Apparently, if the mixture is just perfect, the spires will produce eggs, though this has never been seen yet.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Flint|Flint|Fallen London|}} ''"The Boars write the histories of Caution on the roots of Caution's glossy spires. They always use blood, to ensure the spires are healthily nourished. Most of it comes from the Bleeding Forest, but they like to tincture it with the blood of Men and Beasts. "When we get the mixture right," one Boar confides, "the spires give us eggs. They say. I've never seen it happen.""''</ref> | *'''Boars''' write the histories of Caution on the spires' roots, using blood to ensure the spires are well-nourished. They typically use blood from the Bleeding Forest, but also add a bit of human and Beast blood. Apparently, if the mixture is just perfect, the spires will produce eggs, though this has never been seen yet.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Flint|Flint|Fallen London|}} ''"The Boars write the histories of Caution on the roots of Caution's glossy spires. They always use blood, to ensure the spires are healthily nourished. Most of it comes from the Bleeding Forest, but they like to tincture it with the blood of Men and Beasts. "When we get the mixture right," one Boar confides, "the spires give us eggs. They say. I've never seen it happen.""''</ref> | ||
*The '''Old Hound''' runs a stall for wares, including goods imported from London at great expense. She claims she liked when she was "ugly," but it matters not as she shed her regrets in Caution.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Flint|Flint|Fallen London|}} ''"The Old Hound waits in her stall, [...] "Best," she groans. "Best wares." [...] You purchase edible seeds; scented coals [...] a precious imported packet of Murgatroyd’s Fungal Crackers. The Hound watches you. "I liked," she sighs. "When I was ugly. But regrets, gone. No regrets, in Caution.""''</ref> | *The '''Old Hound''' runs a stall for wares, including goods imported from London at great expense. She claims she liked when she was "ugly," but it matters not as she shed her regrets in Caution.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Flint|Flint|Fallen London|}} ''"The Old Hound waits in her stall, [...] "Best," she groans. "Best wares." [...] You purchase edible seeds; scented coals [...] a precious imported packet of Murgatroyd’s Fungal Crackers. The Hound watches you. "I liked," she sighs. "When I was ugly. But regrets, gone. No regrets, in Caution.""''</ref> | ||
*The '''Host of Hyenas''' | *The '''Host of Hyenas''' were an army of laughing warriors who caught the [[Seven Against Nidah]] off-guard,<ref name = "letter">{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/Delivering_a_Letter#Interactions|Read the apology letter to Nook|Sunless Sea|}} ''"The Almost Dead Man was a scout, who failed to detect the approach of 'the Hyenas' - enemy reinforcements? The outcome, [...] was catastrophic."''</ref> leading to the group's defeat.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/The_Flinty_Latitudinarian#Interactions|Deliver the Almost Dead Man's letter|Sunless Sea|}} ''"And tell him the rout was never his d_mn fault. I took the decision to charge the gate. I missed the Hyenas' approach."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/A_Deal_with_Isery#Interactions|Offer a preposterous price|Sunless Sea|}} ''"You remember panic, disaster! [...] Behind you came the Host of Hyenas, fresh from the city of Caution, laughing as they slew. [...] You remember the desperate journey back down the scarlet river, [...] A man leans on the rail: black shirt, a church dog-collar. Your employer, Lytton. He turns to look at you, and he is bereft."''</ref> | ||
*'''Parakeets''' act as Caution's journalists and gossipers.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Flint|Flint|Fallen London|}} ''"The Parakeets serve Caution as journalists, gossips, urchins and salonnières serve London."''</ref> | *'''Parakeets''' act as Caution's journalists and gossipers.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Flint|Flint|Fallen London|}} ''"The Parakeets serve Caution as journalists, gossips, urchins and salonnières serve London."''</ref> | ||
*'''Leopards''' ''drink'' blood, but are otherwise not expanded upon.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Flint|Flint|Fallen London|}} ''"Give your blood to the Boars [...] "We won't drink it," the Matriarch chuckles. "We're Boars, not Leopards! [...]"''</ref> | *'''Leopards''' ''drink'' blood, but are otherwise not expanded upon.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Flint|Flint|Fallen London|}} ''"Give your blood to the Boars [...] "We won't drink it," the Matriarch chuckles. "We're Boars, not Leopards! [...]"''</ref> |
Revision as of 14:15, 18 June 2024
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"Caution, the City of Beasts, the City of a Hundred Tongues. Its spires rise through the forest canopy; a hundred, one for every tongue – scarlet, dusky green, royal blue. This close, the spires are less like coloured glass, more like glossy crabshell. The Menagerie sets up in a gently sobbing meadow just north of the Pilgrim Gate."[3]
Caution is a city in the Presbyterate just north of the Bleeding Forest.
Vigilance
"Turn back, turn back. You have not lived enough. Learn Caution."[3]

Caution is a city located along the Nameless River upstream from Adam's Way,[4] bordering the Bleeding Forest to the south.[5][6] The coastal citizens of the Elder Continent stop here en route to the Mountain of Light.[7] The city has an idyllic atmosphere, with grassy streets,[8] sparkling flowers,[9] and pulsing springs of pure freshwater.[10] Its most iconic structures are its hundred spires, each of which is made of a shiny chitin-like material in the shape of "a big glass pineapple."[11][12] Each spire has a different color, and corresponds to a unique language spoken in Caution called a tongue.[11][13] Caution also has other strange sights, such as "wells that chime and gardens which rhyme."[14]
Caution is generally closed to those outside the Presbyterate.[15] Travelers who brave the journey south[16] to reach it must first pass through the Pilgrim Gate, a triple-lobed gate made from shell.[17] This gate is guarded by the Pilgrim-Wakers, bird-people with wings and beaks,[18] who only allow the long-lived to pass;[19] to qualify, one must confide in them their greatest regrets.[20][21] The Word of Caution, a tablet of secret passphrases written in Caution's various languages, provides another way to enter the city.[22] The bearer of this artifact is allowed to pass the Pilgrim Gate for free,[23] and is entitled to respect from Caution's citizens.[24] When one of the Word's phrases are spoken aloud, Caution's citizens will zealously act upon its instructions.[25] Diplomats to Caution also exist; they are instructed to never bow too low, never be more than they appear, and to know that immortality may yet be within reach, in spite of the Presbyter's laws.[26]

The Temple of Meetings is a hollow oak tree split apart by a stalactite at the very center of Caution.[27] In ancient times, each newly appointed King of Caution would sit vigil in the Temple, wearing a crown and wielding a mirror and flint dagger. According to legend, one of these kings was none other than Nicator, though his reign ended in disaster. The era of kings has long since ended,[28] and Caution is said to be ruled by a Regent, though this may be hearsay.[29] An ancient city known as the First Caution once existed, but nothing else is known about it.[30]
The Beasts of Caution
"You pass through the triple-lobed gates. Boars, Wolves, Tortoises, Lions gather as the Pilgrim-Wakers cry your entry. Beasts line the grassy streets, press their painted snouts against the windows of their mansions as you pass."[3]
"There are the Beasts – everywhere the Beasts, watching you with human eyes."[3]

Caution's citizens are called Beasts. They are described as humanoids with animalistic qualities,[31] such as forelimbs,[32] muzzles,[33] and snouts,[34] but all possess human eyes.[35] It is not clear if this is because they are transformed humans, or because they are simply humans wearing masks.[36] Beasts often wear face paint,[37] as well as jewelry made of banded flint,[38] a petrified form of light found near Caution.[39] Some Beasts use banded flint for their weapons, and one even nicked off Feducci's ear with a spear.[40] It is possible for humans to be inducted as Beasts: they must consume wine and chertapples before a gathering of Beasts, and enter the darkness below the Temple of Meetings. After an unseen process, they will emerge reborn as a young Beast, such as a Foal.[41]

A key part of the Beasts' culture is their lack of regrets;[42] as one of them puts it, "No regrets, in Caution."[43] They also know how to navigate the Bleeding Forest and are aware of the Prison of Flint.[44] While they are willing to host Snuffers,[45] they are deathly afraid of the Thief-of-Faces, as they fear losing their faces will leave them exposed to be "seen."[46]
Beasts are titled after specific animals which dictate their role in Caution's society:
- Lions boast of their skills and deeds in the aptly-named Boasting Ring. The strongest Lion in the ring wins the weakest Lion's name.[47]
- Apes act as scouts, watchmen, and poets, and study the Elder Continent's many mysteries.[48]
- Wolves act as healers and guides. They possess (or produce?) a beverage called Wolf-milk, which heals the state of chertiness induced by the Bleeding Forest.[49]
- Panthers are not permitted to enter water. Hence they are interested in water-borne stories, such as those of the Unterzee.[50]
- Striped Horses provide manual labor and build the Tongues and spires of Caution. Before they construct a new spire, they first consume water with the "appropriate assonance" from Caution's rhyming wells, which they use to compose poetry.[51]
- Tortoises reside in a pit and claim to be from none other than London. However, their knowledge of the city seems jumbled, placing doubt upon their claims.[52]
- Salamanders are Caution's soldiers and wear armor and crested helmets. They speak in hisses, and are interested in detailed reports of the Surface, most assuredly not to prepare for an invasion.[53][54]
- Boars write the histories of Caution on the spires' roots, using blood to ensure the spires are well-nourished. They typically use blood from the Bleeding Forest, but also add a bit of human and Beast blood. Apparently, if the mixture is just perfect, the spires will produce eggs, though this has never been seen yet.[55]
- The Old Hound runs a stall for wares, including goods imported from London at great expense. She claims she liked when she was "ugly," but it matters not as she shed her regrets in Caution.[56]
- The Host of Hyenas were an army of laughing warriors who caught the Seven Against Nidah off-guard,[57] leading to the group's defeat.[58][59]
- Parakeets act as Caution's journalists and gossipers.[60]
- Leopards drink blood, but are otherwise not expanded upon.[61]
- Serpents and Owls are mentioned but not expanded upon.[62][63]
- Mice are described as small, noisy, and populous, but no one knows what role they serve. They like hearing scary stories of the lands beyond the Elder Continent, but they claim the Zee is warm and calm, and is where "good dreams" come from. They consider tales of the Zee to be lies intended to confine them, based on the words of "the Holiness."[64]
Historical and Cultural Inspirations
The spires of Caution may be inspired by the Gherkin, a building in London opened in 2004. This is supported by the spires of Caution being described as having a shiny, icy finish,[65] as well as one character describing a spire as a "big glass pineapple."[12] A gherkin is a pickle, so perhaps the line about the pineapple is a purposely obfuscated reference, or an inside joke about a conversation the writer may have had.
References
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