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{{Spoiler}}{{Character|image1=DecemberMask.png|caption1=A mask, or their face?|location=[[Pan]] (1905)|allegiance=[[The Calendar Council]] | {{Spoiler}}{{Character|image1=DecemberMask.png|caption1=A mask, or their face?|location=[[Pan]] (1905)|allegiance=[[The Calendar Council]] | ||
[[The Liberation of Night]]|alias=The Twelfth Month|relationships=[[The Boatman]] (sibling)}}<blockquote>''"They wear a curious mask: not quite a fox, not entirely a wolf. All white."''<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Converse_with_a_stranger|Converse with a stranger|Fallen London|}}</ref></blockquote>'''December''' is the elusive leader of the [[Calendar Council]].<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Share_a_drink_and_ask_about_the_envelope_of_papers_in_her_lap|Share a drink and ask about the envelope of papers in her lap|Fallen London|}} ''"The Calendar Council operate in caliginous secrecy. Only their leader, the mysterious December, knows all their identities."''</ref> Their exact nature is unknown, but they attained their current nonhuman form by breaking the [[Great Chain]].<ref name=":0">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Speak_with_the_Bishop_of_St_Fiacre%27s_(Aboard_the_Noble_Garter)|Speak with the Bishop of St Fiacre's (Aboard the Noble Garter)|Fallen London|}} ''"Death's sibling is a Chain-Breaker. Sometimes they conspire as the Twelfth Month. Whenever they visit London, we take tea."''</ref> Their true name cannot be pronounced by humans, and their canine mask may be their actual face.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.fandom.com/wiki/Winter%27s_Reside:_Something_More_Than_Revolutionary|Winter's Reside: Something More Than Revolutionary (December)|Sunless Skies|}} ''"'December' is not their real name, of course, but that name was not made to be spoken with tongue and lips and a throat. Their face is long and serene, like a Borzoi hound, with the same soft nose, the anxious grin. Is that their mask, or their face? You do not recall them removing it to eat."''</ref> They are | [[The Liberation of Night]]|alias=The Twelfth Month|relationships=[[The Boatman]] (sibling)}}<blockquote>''"They wear a curious mask: not quite a fox, not entirely a wolf. All white."''<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Converse_with_a_stranger|Converse with a stranger|Fallen London|}}</ref></blockquote>'''December''' is the elusive leader of the [[Calendar Council]].<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Share_a_drink_and_ask_about_the_envelope_of_papers_in_her_lap|Share a drink and ask about the envelope of papers in her lap|Fallen London|}} ''"The Calendar Council operate in caliginous secrecy. Only their leader, the mysterious December, knows all their identities."''</ref> Their exact nature is unknown, but they attained their current nonhuman form by breaking the [[Great Chain]].<ref name=":0">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Speak_with_the_Bishop_of_St_Fiacre%27s_(Aboard_the_Noble_Garter)|Speak with the Bishop of St Fiacre's (Aboard the Noble Garter)|Fallen London|}} ''"Death's sibling is a Chain-Breaker. Sometimes they conspire as the Twelfth Month. Whenever they visit London, we take tea."''</ref> Their true name cannot be pronounced by humans, and their canine mask may be their actual face.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.fandom.com/wiki/Winter%27s_Reside:_Something_More_Than_Revolutionary|Winter's Reside: Something More Than Revolutionary (December)|Sunless Skies|}} ''"'December' is not their real name, of course, but that name was not made to be spoken with tongue and lips and a throat. Their face is long and serene, like a Borzoi hound, with the same soft nose, the anxious grin. Is that their mask, or their face? You do not recall them removing it to eat."''</ref> They are considered "kin" or a "sibling" of the current [[Boatman]],<ref name=":0" /> as the two once "served the same table,"<ref name=":2">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Discuss_the_Bishop_of_St_Fiacre%27s|Discuss the Bishop of St Fiacre's|Fallen London|}} ''"Twin? No. But they are my kin, in a sense. We both served the same table once. [...] My kin craves my liberation. [...]"''</ref> and they have attempted to recruit the Boatman to the cause of the [[Liberation of Night]] to no avail.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Season_Conclusions_(Guide)#The_Season_of_Family_Ties|Season Conclusions (The Season of Family Ties)|Fallen London|}} ''"Not family as you understand it. But another came to the Neath – one I was close to, once. Recently, they tried to convince me to join their cause. But I will not abandon my duty. And some things should not be liberated. [...] Perhaps I should reject them more forcefully. But it is good to see them again."''</ref> It is possible that the "table" they both served is the [[Sun]], since the Boatman still collects the [[souls]] of humans in the [[Neath]].<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/An_Episode_for_Exceptional_Friends|The Season of Family Ties|Fallen London|}} ''""I disappointed them. I failed in my service, and this is my exile." He surveys his boat and its passengers. "Now, I fulfil my duty as well as the Neath permits. But it will never be enough." He grins – but then he always grins."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Your_move...|Your move...|Fallen London|}}''"He enumerates the souls that have passed down this river [...] into final dissolution. [...] "I am one tip of one finger. Everything is owed...""''</ref> | ||
Whatever December might be, they know a great deal about the [[Judgements]],<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Converse_with_a_stranger|Converse with a stranger|Fallen London|}} ''"They discuss things you know - the Chain, the Liberation of Night, London's place in it, your own role in preserving the city for that appointed hour. And they discuss things you don't: the Unrest of Hours, the vendettas of the Judgements, December's own origins."''</ref> and have detailed knowledge of the [[Courtesy]].<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.fandom.com/wiki/Winter%27s_Reside#A_Dining_Table_in_the_Conservatory|Ambition: Ask "What is the Courtesy?"|Sunless Skies|}} ''"December [...] speaks of a time when [...] when constellations and conjunctions went to war. The Courtesy was the agreement that ended it. The stars agreed a set of permissions and ceremonies that must precede any murder of a star. Now, the sky is littered with dead suns, but all agree that the murders were committed with a due sense of decorum. [...] There is more, they say, but to speak it would hasten a battle December is not yet willing to fight."''</ref> A book they authored, kept in the [[Agendums of Ascent]], is a very old text on astronomy, which also discusses the motivations of the stars as if December knows them personally.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Calendar_Code|The Calendar Code|Fallen London|}} ''"Here is a chart of conjunctions, and here a timetable for the appearance of comets. The paper is dry, crumbling beneath your fingers. It would not survive being removed from the library. The concluding sections seem more philosophical, correlating the movements of celestial bodies to the affairs of London. [...] the final chapter explains the motivations of stars as if the author knows them personally."''</ref> December | Whatever December might be, they know a great deal about the [[Judgements]],<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Converse_with_a_stranger|Converse with a stranger|Fallen London|}} ''"They discuss things you know - the Chain, the Liberation of Night, London's place in it, your own role in preserving the city for that appointed hour. And they discuss things you don't: the Unrest of Hours, the vendettas of the Judgements, December's own origins."''</ref> and have detailed knowledge of the [[Courtesy]].<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.fandom.com/wiki/Winter%27s_Reside#A_Dining_Table_in_the_Conservatory|Ambition: Ask "What is the Courtesy?"|Sunless Skies|}} ''"December [...] speaks of a time when [...] when constellations and conjunctions went to war. The Courtesy was the agreement that ended it. The stars agreed a set of permissions and ceremonies that must precede any murder of a star. Now, the sky is littered with dead suns, but all agree that the murders were committed with a due sense of decorum. [...] There is more, they say, but to speak it would hasten a battle December is not yet willing to fight."''</ref> A book they authored, kept in the [[Agendums of Ascent]], is a very old text on astronomy, which also discusses the motivations of the stars as if December knows them personally.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Calendar_Code|The Calendar Code|Fallen London|}} ''"Here is a chart of conjunctions, and here a timetable for the appearance of comets. The paper is dry, crumbling beneath your fingers. It would not survive being removed from the library. The concluding sections seem more philosophical, correlating the movements of celestial bodies to the affairs of London. [...] the final chapter explains the motivations of stars as if the author knows them personally."''</ref> Not only is December acquainted with the [[Judgements]] through their prior service,<ref name=":2" /> but they hate them, providing a more personal motivation for their support of the [[The Liberation of Night|Liberation]].<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.fandom.com/wiki/Winter%27s_Reside|Ambition: Ask "What is the Courtesy?"|Sunless Skies|}} ''"[...] you don't know what December is. But they are older and vaster than you, and they hate the stars."''</ref> They have the additional goal of either destroying the [[Mountain of Light]],<ref name=":1">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/%22..end_it,_as_I_swore_I_would.%22|"..end it, as I swore I would."|Fallen London|}}''""We were meant to die. The brevity of our lives is what makes us human. [...] We will put an end to the Sun's experiment." [...] A sound: December has emerged behind you. The pale mask nods. "I knew I could trust you. It's hard. But we'll be free. Perhaps we'll be the only free beings in the cosmos.""''</ref> either in order to free the [[Neath]] completely of stellar influence,<ref name=":1" /> or to share its vitality equally among all people;<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/%22...give_it_to_the_world.%22|"...give it to the world."|Fallen London|}}''"December is pleased, of course, although you imagine that one might have been just as pleased had you chosen to dynamite the Mountain."''</ref> to this end, they are acquainted with the [[Bishop of St Fiacre's]] and the [[Dilmun Club]].<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Speak_with_the_Bishop_of_St_Fiacre%27s_(Aboard_the_Noble_Garter)|Speak with the Bishop of St Fiacre's (Aboard the Noble Garter)|Fallen London|}} ''""But I saw my chance for a stronger alliance [...] the Twelfth Month. [...] I would have them stand beside us at the Mountain's foot. With their aid, we could win the Garden."''</ref> | ||
December speaks to their followers warmly, and seems to genuinely care for the rest of the Council.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Converse_with_a_stranger|Converse with a stranger|Fallen London|}} ''"They greet you warmly, as a comrade, and discuss the matter of London. They ask how you have found the other months. Has February softened? Not much. Has September gotten into any trouble? Some. Is August too crestfallen that there will not be another Election? Hard to say."''</ref> However, they can only get away with such genial conversation because any other parties involved will not remember the details afterward.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Converse_with_a_stranger|Converse with a stranger|Fallen London|}} ''"In the dream, those ideas seem solid, almost self-evident. But when you awake, you are left with your mind searching for them like a tongue probing the gap where a tooth used to be."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.fandom.com/wiki/Winter%27s_Reside#A_Dining_Table_in_the_Conservatory|Dine with December|Sunless Skies|}} ''"December spoke about the edifice of the universe [...] Of a great Chain that binds us all in our place. It all made sense at the time [...] Now, you would struggle to tell it to others. It is as if you were both speaking in another language, which has now fallen from your mind."''</ref> While December's effects on memory resemble those of an [[irrigo]]-infused being like the [[Lady in Lilac]], they are instead a consequence of December themselves being literally incomprehensible, as if they and their knowledge are too much for the human mind to process.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.fandom.com/wiki/Winter%27s_Reside#A_Dining_Table_in_the_Conservatory|Return to Corncrake House|Sunless Skies|}} ''"Spending too long in December's company is taxing. The mind tries to hold more than it was made to. It begins to crack."''</ref> As genial as December is, they are wary of romance, which may be in part due to their inhuman nature. The [[The Relickers|Curt Relicker]], formerly a member of the Council, fell in love with December and was rejected harshly.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Offer_your_investigative_services_(25_FATE)|Offer your investigative services (25 FATE)|Fallen London|}} ''"Once, the Curt Relicker did more than just collect conspiracies. [...] 'He was on the Calendar Council. But he fell in love with December, didn't he? [...] And December told him to b____r off.'"''</ref> | December speaks to their followers warmly, and seems to genuinely care for the rest of the Council.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Converse_with_a_stranger|Converse with a stranger|Fallen London|}} ''"They greet you warmly, as a comrade, and discuss the matter of London. They ask how you have found the other months. Has February softened? Not much. Has September gotten into any trouble? Some. Is August too crestfallen that there will not be another Election? Hard to say."''</ref> However, they can only get away with such genial conversation because any other parties involved will not remember the details afterward.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Converse_with_a_stranger|Converse with a stranger|Fallen London|}} ''"In the dream, those ideas seem solid, almost self-evident. But when you awake, you are left with your mind searching for them like a tongue probing the gap where a tooth used to be."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.fandom.com/wiki/Winter%27s_Reside#A_Dining_Table_in_the_Conservatory|Dine with December|Sunless Skies|}} ''"December spoke about the edifice of the universe [...] Of a great Chain that binds us all in our place. It all made sense at the time [...] Now, you would struggle to tell it to others. It is as if you were both speaking in another language, which has now fallen from your mind."''</ref> While December's effects on memory resemble those of an [[irrigo]]-infused being like the [[Lady in Lilac]], they are instead a consequence of December themselves being literally incomprehensible, as if they and their knowledge are too much for the human mind to process.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.fandom.com/wiki/Winter%27s_Reside#A_Dining_Table_in_the_Conservatory|Return to Corncrake House|Sunless Skies|}} ''"Spending too long in December's company is taxing. The mind tries to hold more than it was made to. It begins to crack."''</ref> As genial as December is, they are wary of romance, which may be in part due to their inhuman nature. The [[The Relickers|Curt Relicker]], formerly a member of the Council, fell in love with December and was rejected harshly.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Offer_your_investigative_services_(25_FATE)|Offer your investigative services (25 FATE)|Fallen London|}} ''"Once, the Curt Relicker did more than just collect conspiracies. [...] 'He was on the Calendar Council. But he fell in love with December, didn't he? [...] And December told him to b____r off.'"''</ref> | ||
In the ''Sunless Skies'' timeline, as of 1905, December has left the Neath with [[January]] and [[February]]. The three revolutionaries reside at their base, Winter's Reside, in [[Pan]].<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.fandom.com/wiki/Winter%27s_Reside|Winter's Reside|Sunless Skies|}} ''"Three of the revolutionaries' governing Calendar Council live here: February, January, and ineffable December."''</ref> | In the [[Upstairs]], the alternate version of the [[Neath]] shown under [[moonlight]], there is a December Office that presides over public executions.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Cut_with_Moonlight|Cut with Moonlight|Fallen London|}}</ref> In the ''Sunless Skies'' timeline, as of 1905, December has left the Neath with [[January]] and [[February]]. The three revolutionaries reside at their base, Winter's Reside, in [[Pan]].<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.fandom.com/wiki/Winter%27s_Reside|Winter's Reside|Sunless Skies|}} ''"Three of the revolutionaries' governing Calendar Council live here: February, January, and ineffable December."''</ref> | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
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Revision as of 19:38, 15 October 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. |
"They wear a curious mask: not quite a fox, not entirely a wolf. All white."[1]
December is the elusive leader of the Calendar Council.[2] Their exact nature is unknown, but they attained their current nonhuman form by breaking the Great Chain.[3] Their true name cannot be pronounced by humans, and their canine mask may be their actual face.[4] They are considered "kin" or a "sibling" of the current Boatman,[3] as the two once "served the same table,"[5] and they have attempted to recruit the Boatman to the cause of the Liberation of Night to no avail.[6] It is possible that the "table" they both served is the Sun, since the Boatman still collects the souls of humans in the Neath.[7][8]
Whatever December might be, they know a great deal about the Judgements,[9] and have detailed knowledge of the Courtesy.[10] A book they authored, kept in the Agendums of Ascent, is a very old text on astronomy, which also discusses the motivations of the stars as if December knows them personally.[11] Not only is December acquainted with the Judgements through their prior service,[5] but they hate them, providing a more personal motivation for their support of the Liberation.[12] They have the additional goal of either destroying the Mountain of Light,[13] either in order to free the Neath completely of stellar influence,[13] or to share its vitality equally among all people;[14] to this end, they are acquainted with the Bishop of St Fiacre's and the Dilmun Club.[15]
December speaks to their followers warmly, and seems to genuinely care for the rest of the Council.[16] However, they can only get away with such genial conversation because any other parties involved will not remember the details afterward.[17][18] While December's effects on memory resemble those of an irrigo-infused being like the Lady in Lilac, they are instead a consequence of December themselves being literally incomprehensible, as if they and their knowledge are too much for the human mind to process.[19] As genial as December is, they are wary of romance, which may be in part due to their inhuman nature. The Curt Relicker, formerly a member of the Council, fell in love with December and was rejected harshly.[20]
In the Upstairs, the alternate version of the Neath shown under moonlight, there is a December Office that presides over public executions.[21] In the Sunless Skies timeline, as of 1905, December has left the Neath with January and February. The three revolutionaries reside at their base, Winter's Reside, in Pan.[22]
References
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