The Wax-Wind: Difference between revisions
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The Wax-Wind is infamously used by the [[Presbyterate]] to liquidate their greatest enemies,<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/Mariam|Mariam|Sunless Sea|}} ''""As punishment for our attempt on their city, the Nidaheen promised me to the Wax-Wind. I sought sanctuary in the Fathomking's Hold, and made an arrangement with His Complexity. He changed me," [...] "Here among the other lost histories, I am hidden from the Presbyterate's agents and oracles. But were I to venture above the waves, the Wax-Wind would find me, and I'd end my days a candle.""''</ref> especially those who violate the [[Design]].<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Ask_about_the_College_of_Mortality|Ask about the College of Mortality|Fallen London|}} ''"In the Garden is the Design; in the Garden occurred the Ascents; in the Garden were selected the Shames. Therefore none shall enter it without that they be blinded with thorns and bound with the Three Oaths. And should any seek to alter the Design or repeat the Ascent or uncover the Shames, they shall be given to the Wax-Wind."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Exile%27s_Chalice|The Exile's Chalice|Fallen London|}} ''"These grounds are forsaken for crimes against the Design, and entry prohibited by the Prester's Decree." His voice is that of an angel speaking to a child. "Intruders, by His grace you shall be returned to the zee. Otherwise you will be given to the Wax-Wind."''</ref> It is a relentless pursuer that strips its prey to the bone to make tallow, and it is implied at least some of its wax comes from previous victims.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Speak_with_the_Youthful_Naturalist_(Battling_the_Wax-Wind)|Speak with the Youthful Naturalist (Battling the Wax-Wind)|Fallen London|}} ''""It has my scent," [...] "I've seen it hunt before. Across the Listening Desert outside Nidah. It won't stop until it strips my bones. Until it renders me into tallow! Where do you think all that wax comes from?""''</ref> Targets may receive nightmares before the Wind strikes;<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Arriving_with_the_Youthful_Naturalist|Arriving with the Youthful Naturalist|Fallen London|}} ''"And do you smell that? Wax. At Port Cecil, I had the most horrible dreams. The wind wouldn't stop chasing me. We ought to get inside before it realises I'm here."''</ref> according to these dreams, servants of the Prester can summon the Wind with a silver bell.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Observe_the_enemy_ship|Observe the enemy ship|Fallen London|}} ''"The Sacristan raises a limb [...] and rings a small silver bell. [...] Something spatters your cheek, like a raindrop but boiling hot: wax."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Steer_through_the_storm|Steer through the storm|Fallen London|}} ''"On every side, wax thunders down, splattering your crew with drops that can and do melt living flesh. [...] Spin it again, and again, as the molten deluge closes, like curtains after a play, around your ship – just before your bo'sun shakes you awake. [...] The zee is clear. You must've dozed off at the helm. Bad dreams again? Your lookout swears the Delight has been nowhere in sight recently. But the silver bell still echoes in your memory."''</ref> | The Wax-Wind is infamously used by the [[Presbyterate]] to liquidate their greatest enemies,<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/Mariam|Mariam|Sunless Sea|}} ''""As punishment for our attempt on their city, the Nidaheen promised me to the Wax-Wind. I sought sanctuary in the Fathomking's Hold, and made an arrangement with His Complexity. He changed me," [...] "Here among the other lost histories, I am hidden from the Presbyterate's agents and oracles. But were I to venture above the waves, the Wax-Wind would find me, and I'd end my days a candle.""''</ref> especially those who violate the [[Design]].<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Ask_about_the_College_of_Mortality|Ask about the College of Mortality|Fallen London|}} ''"In the Garden is the Design; in the Garden occurred the Ascents; in the Garden were selected the Shames. Therefore none shall enter it without that they be blinded with thorns and bound with the Three Oaths. And should any seek to alter the Design or repeat the Ascent or uncover the Shames, they shall be given to the Wax-Wind."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Exile%27s_Chalice|The Exile's Chalice|Fallen London|}} ''"These grounds are forsaken for crimes against the Design, and entry prohibited by the Prester's Decree." His voice is that of an angel speaking to a child. "Intruders, by His grace you shall be returned to the zee. Otherwise you will be given to the Wax-Wind."''</ref> It is a relentless pursuer that strips its prey to the bone to make tallow, and it is implied at least some of its wax comes from previous victims.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Speak_with_the_Youthful_Naturalist_(Battling_the_Wax-Wind)|Speak with the Youthful Naturalist (Battling the Wax-Wind)|Fallen London|}} ''""It has my scent," [...] "I've seen it hunt before. Across the Listening Desert outside Nidah. It won't stop until it strips my bones. Until it renders me into tallow! Where do you think all that wax comes from?""''</ref> Targets may receive nightmares before the Wind strikes;<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Arriving_with_the_Youthful_Naturalist|Arriving with the Youthful Naturalist|Fallen London|}} ''"And do you smell that? Wax. At Port Cecil, I had the most horrible dreams. The wind wouldn't stop chasing me. We ought to get inside before it realises I'm here."''</ref> according to these dreams, servants of the Prester can summon the Wind with a silver bell.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Observe_the_enemy_ship|Observe the enemy ship|Fallen London|}} ''"The Sacristan raises a limb [...] and rings a small silver bell. [...] Something spatters your cheek, like a raindrop but boiling hot: wax."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Steer_through_the_storm|Steer through the storm|Fallen London|}} ''"On every side, wax thunders down, splattering your crew with drops that can and do melt living flesh. [...] Spin it again, and again, as the molten deluge closes, like curtains after a play, around your ship – just before your bo'sun shakes you awake. [...] The zee is clear. You must've dozed off at the helm. Bad dreams again? Your lookout swears the Delight has been nowhere in sight recently. But the silver bell still echoes in your memory."''</ref> | ||
The Wax-Wind is far more aggressive to its prey versus the average zailor. It concentrates itself fully above its target's location,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Into_the_captain%27s_cabin_(Aeschaven)|Into the captain's cabin (Aeschaven)|Fallen London|}} ''"From a distance, it's clear why: the Wax-Wind is concentrated above Godfall, leaving the surrounding waters untouched."''</ref> and manifests tendrils and rivers to probe gaps that may house its quarry.<ref name = "tendrils">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Fight_back_against_the_wax|Fight back against the wax|Fallen London|}} ''"There are shapes in the wax: thicker tendrils tapering into thinner appendages. And the thinner they become, the more quickly they cool, until they have grown solid enough to seize unwary victims in their hardened grasp."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Divert_the_wax_through_different_passages|Divert the wax through different passages|Fallen London|}} ''"Its bubbling rivers, coursing through the citadel, seem to know where you're going. They ooze after you. Branching as you lead them down forked corridors. Transforming stairwells into whirlpools. And crashing back into the zee – when you leap over a yawning chasm, and the wax pours through the gap."''</ref> These tendrils can cool and solidify to ensnare victims,<ref name = "tendrils"/> and can part to allow agents of the Presbyterate to pass through safely.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Duelling_the_Masked_Corsair_(On_Godfall)|Duelling the Masked Corsair (On Godfall)|Fallen London|}} ''"She comes through a rift in the cavern wall that opens to the zee. The Wax-Wind's torrents part to let her pass."''</ref> The Wind is also capable of carrying certain objects to specific locations.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Advise_him_to_flee|Advise him to flee|Fallen London|}} ''"But his stretched skin [...] the Wax-Wind snatches it away."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Worship_with_the_Devoted_Deckhands|Worship with the Devoted Deckhands|Fallen London|}} ''"[...] you discover the Youthful Naturalist. You discover his skin, anyway, turned inside-out. [...] Now you know where the Wax-Wind took his cast-off body."''</ref> Fighting off the Wax-Wind in this state is like battling the weather itself:<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Fight_back_against_the_wax|Fight back against the wax|Fallen London|}} ''"What techniques could challenge the weather in close-quarters combat?"''</ref> running or hiding merely delays the inevitable, and the Prester will almost certainly receive a "new candle to burn at High Mass" once the Wind's work is done.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Eye_of_the_Wax-Wind|The Eye of the Wax-Wind|Fallen London|}} ''""I could run. I could hide. Others have," says the Youthful Naturalist. "But it won't stop hunting. Never. Once the Wax-Wind is invoked, that's the end. Whether today or tomorrow, [...] even ten lifetimes – the Prester will get a new candle to burn at High Mass. No matter how long it takes, the road always leads to His altar.""''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Follow_the_Youthful_Naturalist%27s_pilgrimage_(St_Stalactite_of_the_Utmost_Aven)|Follow the Youthful Naturalist's pilgrimage (St Stalactite of the Utmost Aven)|Fallen London|}} ''""It's here," says the Youthful Naturalist. "St Stalactite is saying I won't get away. But I don't need a saint to tell me that.""''</ref> | The Wax-Wind is far more aggressive to its prey versus the average zailor. It concentrates itself fully above its target's location,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Into_the_captain%27s_cabin_(Aeschaven)|Into the captain's cabin (Aeschaven)|Fallen London|}} ''"From a distance, it's clear why: the Wax-Wind is concentrated above Godfall, leaving the surrounding waters untouched."''</ref> and manifests tendrils and rivers to probe gaps that may house its quarry.<ref name = "tendrils">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Fight_back_against_the_wax|Fight back against the wax|Fallen London|}} ''"There are shapes in the wax: thicker tendrils tapering into thinner appendages. And the thinner they become, the more quickly they cool, until they have grown solid enough to seize unwary victims in their hardened grasp."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Divert_the_wax_through_different_passages|Divert the wax through different passages|Fallen London|}} ''"Its bubbling rivers, coursing through the citadel, seem to know where you're going. They ooze after you. Branching as you lead them down forked corridors. Transforming stairwells into whirlpools. And crashing back into the zee – when you leap over a yawning chasm, and the wax pours through the gap."''</ref> These tendrils can cool and solidify to ensnare victims,<ref name = "tendrils"/> and can part to allow agents of the Presbyterate to pass through safely.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Duelling_the_Masked_Corsair_(On_Godfall)|Duelling the Masked Corsair (On Godfall)|Fallen London|}} ''"She comes through a rift in the cavern wall that opens to the zee. The Wax-Wind's torrents part to let her pass."''</ref> The Wind is also capable of carrying certain objects to specific locations.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Advise_him_to_flee|Advise him to flee|Fallen London|}} ''"But his stretched skin [...] the Wax-Wind snatches it away."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Worship_with_the_Devoted_Deckhands|Worship with the Devoted Deckhands|Fallen London|}} ''"[...] you discover the Youthful Naturalist. You discover his skin, anyway, turned inside-out. [...] Now you know where the Wax-Wind took his cast-off body."''</ref> Fighting off the Wax-Wind in this state is like battling the weather itself:<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Fight_back_against_the_wax|Fight back against the wax|Fallen London|}} ''"What techniques could challenge the weather in close-quarters combat?"''</ref> running or hiding merely delays the inevitable, and the Prester will almost certainly receive a "new candle to burn at High Mass" once the Wax-Wind's work is done.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Eye_of_the_Wax-Wind|The Eye of the Wax-Wind|Fallen London|}} ''""I could run. I could hide. Others have," says the Youthful Naturalist. "But it won't stop hunting. Never. Once the Wax-Wind is invoked, that's the end. Whether today or tomorrow, [...] even ten lifetimes – the Prester will get a new candle to burn at High Mass. No matter how long it takes, the road always leads to His altar.""''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Follow_the_Youthful_Naturalist%27s_pilgrimage_(St_Stalactite_of_the_Utmost_Aven)|Follow the Youthful Naturalist's pilgrimage (St Stalactite of the Utmost Aven)|Fallen London|}} ''""It's here," says the Youthful Naturalist. "St Stalactite is saying I won't get away. But I don't need a saint to tell me that.""''</ref> | ||
== References == | == References == | ||
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Revision as of 19:46, 29 September 2024
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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. |
"On rare days, an impossible tempest sweeps out of the Elder Continent: a wild wind carrying the scent of boiling honey and a storm of molten wax. Ships that fall prey to the Wax-Wind float like filthy icebergs in the Unterzee, their crews confined in wax, mouths fixed in endless screams."[1]
The Wax Wind is a maelstrom of molten wax that menaces the Unterzee near the Elder Continent.
Wax On
"It looks like a low-lying storm cloud, in the distance, until you can discern the milky yellow colour. "Wax-wind!" screams one of the zailors."[2]
The Wax-Wind is commonly sighted in Shepherd's Wash, and appears from a distance as a pale-yellow storm cloud.[3] Ships caught in it are bombarded with gobbets of wax hot enough to melt flesh, and this wax hardens over time when the storm passes.[4][5] The Wax-Wind's threat can be mitigated by moving below-decks,[4] or by diving below the Unterzee where it cannot reach.[6] It is also possible to find "gaps" in the Wind and reach the eye of the storm to ensure safe passage.[7] The Wax-Wind's danger is not restricted to open zee: it troubles settlements in the Elder Continent like Port Carnelian,[8] as well as those in Shepherd's Wash like Abbey Rock.[9] Oddly, it also manifests above Polythreme, and Clay Men take shelter to avoid it.[10][11]
In the Elder Continent, it is said that apples are a symbol that may ward off the Wax-Wind.[12] It is also said that the Wax-Wind is the weeping of the Mountain of Light;[13] another passage describes the Mountain weeping tears of "flint,"[14] making it unclear if the two passages contradict each other, or if the Wax-Wind is partially composed of flint.[15] The Wax-Wind is said to have a "sibling,"[16] specifically a "sister,"[17] but any further details are unknown. The Waxwail Knife is a blade "touched" by the Wax-Wind with the power to efficiently rend flesh. It is awarded to skilled players of Knife-and-Candle, but appears quite dangerous to possess.[18][19]
Wax Off
"THE PRESTER SAITH: In the Garden is the Design; in the Garden occurred the Ascents; in the Garden were selected the Shames. Therefore none shall enter it without that they be blinded with thorns and bound with the Three Oaths. And should any seek to alter the Design or repeat the Ascent or uncover the Shames, they shall be given to the Wax-Wind."[20]
"When the Youthful Naturalist said the Wax-Wind had his scent, did he mean that literally? Its bubbling rivers, coursing through the citadel, seem to know where you're going. They ooze after you. Branching as you lead them down forked corridors. Transforming stairwells into whirlpools. And crashing back into the zee – when you leap over a yawning chasm, and the wax pours through the gap."[21]
The Wax-Wind is infamously used by the Presbyterate to liquidate their greatest enemies,[22] especially those who violate the Design.[23][24] It is a relentless pursuer that strips its prey to the bone to make tallow, and it is implied at least some of its wax comes from previous victims.[25] Targets may receive nightmares before the Wind strikes;[26] according to these dreams, servants of the Prester can summon the Wind with a silver bell.[27][28]
The Wax-Wind is far more aggressive to its prey versus the average zailor. It concentrates itself fully above its target's location,[29] and manifests tendrils and rivers to probe gaps that may house its quarry.[30][31] These tendrils can cool and solidify to ensnare victims,[30] and can part to allow agents of the Presbyterate to pass through safely.[32] The Wind is also capable of carrying certain objects to specific locations.[33][34] Fighting off the Wax-Wind in this state is like battling the weather itself:[35] running or hiding merely delays the inevitable, and the Prester will almost certainly receive a "new candle to burn at High Mass" once the Wax-Wind's work is done.[36][37]
References
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