The Cladery Heart: Difference between revisions
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<blockquote>''"It thrums. It wanders. It has a delightful stink."''<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/Ships|Cladery Heart|Sunless Sea|}}</ref></blockquote> | <blockquote>''"It thrums. It wanders. It has a delightful stink."''<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/Ships|Cladery Heart|Sunless Sea|}}</ref></blockquote> | ||
[[File:Claderyheir small.png|alt=A woman with a top hat and hair covering one eye.|thumb|130x130px|The [[The Cladery Heir|Cladery Heir]], daughter of the [[The Surgeon's Child|Surgeon's Child]].]] | [[File:Claderyheir small.png|alt=A woman with a top hat and hair covering one eye.|thumb|130x130px|The [[The Cladery Heir|Cladery Heir]], daughter of the [[The Surgeon's Child|Surgeon's Child]].]] | ||
In the ancient era of the [[First City]],<ref name = "chef">{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/Cladery_Heir|Invite her to dine with you|Sunless Sea}} ''"My mother was the child of a surgeon in the First City. You might say that knifework runs in the family."''</ref> the [[Surgeon's Child]] removed the Echo Bazaar's '''cladent lobe''' to relieve it of its urge to wander. In the process she was exposed to the Bazaar's ichor, which "changed" her and turned her immortal.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/Cladery_Heir|Explore her Surgery|Sunless Sea|}} ''""Did you know my mother operated on the Bazaar itself? She cut away its cladent lobe so that it would be at peace and not have to wander on and on. But the operation changed her. She got some of the ichor on her skin.""''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/Cladery_Heir|Mr Iron? Truly?|Sunless Sea|}} ''"She was in her third millennium when she bore me."''</ref> She studied the lobe with the help of Mr Iron, but once she realized that it still had a need to move, she either fashioned it into a living ship or built one around it.<ref name = "got away">{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/Cladery_Heir|What happened to the cladent lobe?|Sunless Sea|}} ''"Mother experimented on the lobe, various ways, with Mr Iron bringing her new implements. It wanted to be on the move, however, and in the end she put it on a ship, or built a ship around it: the Cladery Heart. But it got away from her."''</ref> She captained this ship to visit places she dreamt of, without following any established paths or trade routes.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Surgeon%27s_Child|The Surgeon's Child|Fallen London|}} ''""It's the account of the movements of a zee ship long ago. Captained by the Surgeon's Child. Took erratic paths, didn't follow trade routes and so on," [...] This Surgeon's Child travelled in a piece of the Bazaar. The Heart is a ship – and you, Captain, now have the record of its final destination. She travelled to places she'd dream of; and we have the record of her final dream.""''</ref> | In the ancient era of the [[First City]],<ref name = "chef">{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/Cladery_Heir|Invite her to dine with you|Sunless Sea}} ''"My mother was the child of a surgeon in the First City. You might say that knifework runs in the family."''</ref> the [[Surgeon's Child]] removed the [[Echo Bazaar]]'s '''cladent lobe''' to relieve it of its urge to wander. In the process she was exposed to the Bazaar's ichor, which "changed" her and turned her immortal.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/Cladery_Heir|Explore her Surgery|Sunless Sea|}} ''""Did you know my mother operated on the Bazaar itself? She cut away its cladent lobe so that it would be at peace and not have to wander on and on. But the operation changed her. She got some of the ichor on her skin.""''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/Cladery_Heir|Mr Iron? Truly?|Sunless Sea|}} ''"She was in her third millennium when she bore me."''</ref> She studied the lobe with the help of [[Mr Iron]], but once she realized that it still had a need to move, she either fashioned it into a living ship or built one around it.<ref name = "got away">{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/Cladery_Heir|What happened to the cladent lobe?|Sunless Sea|}} ''"Mother experimented on the lobe, various ways, with Mr Iron bringing her new implements. It wanted to be on the move, however, and in the end she put it on a ship, or built a ship around it: the Cladery Heart. But it got away from her."''</ref> She captained this ship to visit places she dreamt of, without following any established paths or trade routes.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Surgeon%27s_Child|The Surgeon's Child|Fallen London|}} ''""It's the account of the movements of a zee ship long ago. Captained by the Surgeon's Child. Took erratic paths, didn't follow trade routes and so on," [...] This Surgeon's Child travelled in a piece of the Bazaar. The Heart is a ship – and you, Captain, now have the record of its final destination. She travelled to places she'd dream of; and we have the record of her final dream.""''</ref> | ||
Like most ships, the ''Heart'' has an engine room and relies on machinery to function.<ref name = "engine">{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/Retrieve_the_Cladery_Heart|Consult the Cladery Heir about her future|Sunless Sea|}} ''"You find her deep in the engine room of the Cladery Heart. [...] the floor is slick with ichor. [...] "I need to see what is in the ventral chamber.""''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/Retrieve_the_Cladery_Heart|Keep the Cladery Heart|Sunless Sea|}} ''"But that night she sleeps in its engine room, between the boom and the throb. If you stand outside the door you can hear her gulping sobs even above the machinery noise."''</ref> ''Unlike'' most ships, it also has a rancid odor,<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/Ships|Cladery Heart|Sunless Sea|}} ''"It thrums. It wanders. It has a delightful stink."''</ref> a "ventral chamber," and lower decks that are swamped with ichor.<ref name = "engine"/> As a living ship it pulsates like an actual heart,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Surgeon%27s_Child|The Surgeon's Child|Fallen London|}} ''"The Heart, that throbbing, ancient organ, slowly propels itself through the water."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/Frostfound|Bring it back to health|Sunless Sea|}} ''"The Heart beats twice before taking a new heading."''</ref> and it is capable of zailing up the [[The Nameless River|Nameless River]] without risking | Like most ships, the ''Heart'' has an engine room and relies on machinery to function.<ref name = "engine">{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/Retrieve_the_Cladery_Heart|Consult the Cladery Heir about her future|Sunless Sea|}} ''"You find her deep in the engine room of the Cladery Heart. [...] the floor is slick with ichor. [...] "I need to see what is in the ventral chamber.""''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/Retrieve_the_Cladery_Heart|Keep the Cladery Heart|Sunless Sea|}} ''"But that night she sleeps in its engine room, between the boom and the throb. If you stand outside the door you can hear her gulping sobs even above the machinery noise."''</ref> ''Unlike'' most ships, it also has a rancid odor,<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/Ships|Cladery Heart|Sunless Sea|}} ''"It thrums. It wanders. It has a delightful stink."''</ref> a "ventral chamber," and lower decks that are swamped with ichor.<ref name = "engine"/> As a living ship it pulsates like an actual heart,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Surgeon%27s_Child|The Surgeon's Child|Fallen London|}} ''"The Heart, that throbbing, ancient organ, slowly propels itself through the water."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/Frostfound|Bring it back to health|Sunless Sea|}} ''"The Heart beats twice before taking a new heading."''</ref> and it is capable of zailing up the [[The Nameless River|Nameless River]] without risking severe damage.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/Way_Upstream|Way Upstream|Sunless Sea|}} ''"They say that only the captain of a living ship can dare the waters of Adam's Way."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/Way_Upstream|The Mountain's Blood|Sunless Sea|}} ''"Note: Getting the The Cladery Heart allows you to bypass the Veils check and retain your hull when sailing to the south."''</ref> Ships that moor near the ''Heart'' tend to zail faster and less steadily immediately afterwards.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/Retrieve_the_Cladery_Heart|Description|Sunless Sea|}} ''"It is drawn up at the dock, waiting for its owner. No one dares touch it, but the ships that berth near her travel faster and less steadily thereafter."''</ref> The ''Heart'' also displays autonomous behavior:<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/Frostfound|Bring it back to health|Sunless Sea|}} ''"[...] the Heart begins to thrum again. It wants to be free of the ice. It wants to move. It wants to swim."''</ref> it can travel long distances with minimal crew,<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/Frostfound|Bring it back to health|Sunless Sea|}} ''""South," says the Heir. "Wait for us in Port Carnelian. It isn't safe to change ships here." The Heart beats twice before taking a new heading."''</ref> will always return to its owner,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_return_of_the_Heart|The return of the Heart|Fallen London|}} ''"It will always come back to you. [...] The Wizened Navigator stands by the gangway. "Welcome back, Captain," he says. "We've been waiting for you." But some of the younger faces in the crew are new to you."''</ref> and may goad its captain to explore certain locations.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Heart%27s_suggestion|The Heart's suggestion|Fallen London|}} ''"The floor pulses. Does your ship have something to show you? [...] The Heart rounds the island, and enters a cave."''</ref> It also may parley with [[Mt Nomad]] for unknown reasons, possibly to communicate with her.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/%22Hold!%22|'Hold!'|Fallen London|}} ''"The Mountain seems to be slowing – the Heart too, feels reluctant to press forward. What's going on? [...] "I never saw Nomad so close," [...] the looming Mountain. The waters and the world are silent. And then, all at once, the Heart skirts along the Mountain, and brings you back onto course."''</ref> | ||
==Final Fate== | ==Final Fate== |
Revision as of 01:39, 14 February 2025
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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. |
"You edge by the frozen castles of the North, and pass through the skeleton of a vast beast. Finally: a gigantic stalagmite. And – there! A crack large enough for your ship to enter. The glim-light shines along your path. Zailors gather on the deck as you navigate the twists and turns – and there it is. Throbbing, stinking, beautiful, abandoned – the Heart."[1]
The Cladery Heart is a living ship made from an organ of the Echo Bazaar.
Extracted
"It thrums. It wanders. It has a delightful stink."[2]

In the ancient era of the First City,[3] the Surgeon's Child removed the Echo Bazaar's cladent lobe to relieve it of its urge to wander. In the process she was exposed to the Bazaar's ichor, which "changed" her and turned her immortal.[4][5] She studied the lobe with the help of Mr Iron, but once she realized that it still had a need to move, she either fashioned it into a living ship or built one around it.[6] She captained this ship to visit places she dreamt of, without following any established paths or trade routes.[7]
Like most ships, the Heart has an engine room and relies on machinery to function.[8][9] Unlike most ships, it also has a rancid odor,[10] a "ventral chamber," and lower decks that are swamped with ichor.[8] As a living ship it pulsates like an actual heart,[11][12] and it is capable of zailing up the Nameless River without risking severe damage.[13][14] Ships that moor near the Heart tend to zail faster and less steadily immediately afterwards.[15] The Heart also displays autonomous behavior:[16] it can travel long distances with minimal crew,[17] will always return to its owner,[18] and may goad its captain to explore certain locations.[19] It also may parley with Mt Nomad for unknown reasons, possibly to communicate with her.[20]
Final Fate
"Yes, it was here. A previous owner zailed it as far up the river as it would go, and then submerged it and covered its resting place in reeds. There its ichor bled into the water. The river fish began to throw themselves on shore and hobble about on their fins. At first the local fishermen welcomed an easy harvest, but in time they came to dislike the disruption and the permanent rotting smell. Then... ah, but how the Heart departed and where it went are another story."[21]
"She made the other ships restless. In the end we had to repair her enough to let her go on. She turned north, with the last of the crew that still lived on her. But she sailed too close by Frostfound, and the ice swallowed her. At least, that is the story that has come back to us."[22]
The Surgeon's Child eventually lost track of the Heart.[6] In the Fallen London timeline, she abandoned the Heart at the location of her "final dream"[23] during the era of the First City,[24] which was a cave in a stalagmite in the northern Unterzee.[25] The Rosers sought the Heart,[26] but could only obtain a list of its destinations[27] which they hid in a temple dedicated to the God-Eaters.[28][29]

In the Sunless Sea timeline, it is not stated how the Surgeon's Child and the Heart separated.[6][30] According to a storyteller, an unknown party zailed the Heart up the Nameless River as far as it would go, submerged it, and covered it in reeds. The Heart's ichor suffused the water, which caused nearby fish to wash ashore and pile up in rotting heaps. The villagers nearby initially enjoyed this unexpected bounty but soon grew tired of the Heart's presence,[31] so they repaired it and forced a small crew to zail north as far out of the Elder Continent as possible.[32] Eventually, the Heart ended up in Khan's Shadow, a frequent resting place for shipwrecks.[33] The locals had to exile the Heart because it made the ships there too "restless," so it and its remaining crew zailed north. However, they veered too close to Frostfound, and the Heart was left frozen and inert, waiting to thaw so that it may travel yet again.[34][35]
References
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