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<blockquote>''"I found Caduceus not long after I arrived in Eleutheria. I was frustrated with the methodologies of Winter's Reside. Where was the poetry? Where the beauty in all the horror?"''<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.gamepedia.com/Caduceus#The_Thorn-Maiden|Ask about Caduceus|Sunless Skies}}</ref></blockquote>The ritual leader of the Rite of the Rose is the '''Thorn-Maiden''': crowned in leaves and thorns, adorned with jewels, and carrying a stave coiled with snakes.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Caduceus#The_Place_of_the_Rose|Talk to the Thorn-Maiden|Sunless Skies}} ''"Her crown is thorned, her stave coiled with snakes. Her eyes are quiet as an ox's. As you approach, she raises a hand, bedecked with rings of white sapphires."''</ref> Her voice expresses no emotion<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Caduceus#The_Thorn-Maiden|Ask about Caduceus|Sunless Skies}} ''"Her voice is without any affect. The intonation is hollow."''</ref> and seems to have been altered in some way,<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Caduceus#The_Thorn-Maiden|The Thorn-Maiden|Sunless Skies}} ''"How may I serve?" she asks. Her voice resonates like beaten bronze."''</ref> and she speaks cryptically of alliances between great powers,<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Caduceus#The_Thorn-Maiden|What is going on here?|Sunless Skies}} ''"She whispers: "There is a gate behind the glass. There is a kingdom that is not. There is a sky more sunless. There are promises that beguile and dreams that do not lie. All impossible. All attainable. This was once an escape; now it shall be a union. Three powers conjoined, like serpents on a staff." She leans back and looks away."''</ref> but her impatient and ambitious personality certainly shines through.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Caduceus#The_Thorn-Maiden|How is she?|Sunless Skies}} ''"Is it obvious?" Her tone doesn't change. "The waiting between rites becomes more intolerable. All these people [...] venerating me, but all they care for are the roses. I am a link in the chain, not the pearl in the crown."''</ref>
<blockquote>''"I found Caduceus not long after I arrived in Eleutheria. I was frustrated with the methodologies of Winter's Reside. Where was the poetry? Where the beauty in all the horror?"''<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.gamepedia.com/Caduceus#The_Thorn-Maiden|Ask about Caduceus|Sunless Skies}}</ref></blockquote>The ritual leader of the Rite of the Rose is the '''Thorn-Maiden''': crowned in leaves and thorns, adorned with jewels, and carrying a stave coiled with snakes.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Caduceus#The_Place_of_the_Rose|Talk to the Thorn-Maiden|Sunless Skies}} ''"Her crown is thorned, her stave coiled with snakes. Her eyes are quiet as an ox's. As you approach, she raises a hand, bedecked with rings of white sapphires."''</ref> Her voice expresses no emotion<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Caduceus#The_Thorn-Maiden|Ask about Caduceus|Sunless Skies}} ''"Her voice is without any affect. The intonation is hollow."''</ref> and seems to have been altered in some way,<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Caduceus#The_Thorn-Maiden|The Thorn-Maiden|Sunless Skies}} ''"How may I serve?" she asks. Her voice resonates like beaten bronze."''</ref> and she speaks cryptically of alliances between great powers,<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Caduceus#The_Thorn-Maiden|What is going on here?|Sunless Skies}} ''"She whispers: "There is a gate behind the glass. There is a kingdom that is not. There is a sky more sunless. There are promises that beguile and dreams that do not lie. All impossible. All attainable. This was once an escape; now it shall be a union. Three powers conjoined, like serpents on a staff." She leans back and looks away."''</ref> but her impatient and ambitious personality certainly shines through.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Caduceus#The_Thorn-Maiden|How is she?|Sunless Skies}} ''"Is it obvious?" Her tone doesn't change. "The waiting between rites becomes more intolerable. All these people [...] venerating me, but all they care for are the roses. I am a link in the chain, not the pearl in the crown."''</ref>


The Thorn-Maiden is a former [[Revolutionaries|revolutionary]], who left [[Pan#The Calendar Council|Winter's Reside]] due to ideological differences with the [[Calendar Council]]; she was unable to see beauty and poetry in the [[The Liberation of Night|Liberation]].<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Caduceus#The_Thorn-Maiden|Ask about Caduceus|Sunless Skies}} ''"I found Caduceus not long after I arrived in Eleutheria. I was frustrated with the methodologies of Winter's Reside. Where was the poetry? Where the beauty in all the horror?"''</ref> She does not clarify why she was chosen for her role by the Rose-Binders, who preceded her arrival.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Caduceus#The_Thorn-Maiden|Ask about Caduceus|Sunless Skies}} ''"The devils were here before me. They were wearing those masks when I arrived. This temple was once something else, something important to them. They reclaimed it, though for a new purpose."''</ref> Interestingly, like the devils', her sense of style is rather anachronistic; perhaps she learned a few tricks from them?
The Thorn-Maiden is a former [[Revolutionaries|revolutionary]] who left [[Pan#The Calendar Council|Winter's Reside]] due to ideological differences with the [[Calendar Council]]; she was unable to see beauty and poetry in the [[The Liberation of Night|Liberation]].<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Caduceus#The_Thorn-Maiden|Ask about Caduceus|Sunless Skies}} ''"I found Caduceus not long after I arrived in Eleutheria. I was frustrated with the methodologies of Winter's Reside. Where was the poetry? Where the beauty in all the horror?"''</ref> She does not clarify why she was chosen for her role by the Rose-Binders, who preceded her arrival.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Caduceus#The_Thorn-Maiden|Ask about Caduceus|Sunless Skies}} ''"The devils were here before me. They were wearing those masks when I arrived. This temple was once something else, something important to them. They reclaimed it, though for a new purpose."''</ref> Interestingly, like the devils', her sense of style is rather anachronistic; perhaps she learned a few tricks from them?


==The Rites of the Rose==
==The Rites of the Rose==
<blockquote>''"As your eyes adjust to the illegal radiance of the sudden sunlight, you can see that the Arboretum has been entirely transformed. The statues are covered and crowned in wild roses of every possible colour. Impossible roses bloom on the throne and on the marble slabs on the ground. Celebrants run through fields of brightly-hued flowers, drinking and dancing and laughing."''<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Caduceus#The_Rites_of_the_Rose|The Rites of the Rose|Sunless Skies}}</ref></blockquote>'''The Rites of the Rose''' are the mysterious celebrations of Caduceus, during which the temple is bathed in [[sunlight]] and the roses start to bloom.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Caduceus#The_Rites_of_the_Rose|The Rites of the Rose|Sunless Skies}} ''"As your eyes adjust to the illegal radiance of the sudden sunlight, you can see that the Arboretum has been entirely transformed. The statues are covered and crowned in wild roses of every possible colour. Impossible roses bloom on the throne and on the marble slabs on the ground."''</ref> Celebrants can be seen dancing and drinking their way through the fields where the Rose-Binders tend to the flowers.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Caduceus#The_Rites_of_the_Rose|The Rites of the Rose|Sunless Skies}} ''"Celebrants run through fields of brightly-hued flowers, drinking and dancing and laughing. "''</ref> Hissing can be heard from the bushes,<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Caduceus#The_Rites_of_the_Rose|Rest among the roses|Sunless Skies}} ''"You dream of a sunlit garden, where wine flows like honey, languorous and sweet. The air is filled with a drowsy humming and a quiet hissing."''</ref> and celebrants cavorting near them often have their fingers bitten.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Caduceus#The_Rites_of_the_Rose|Cavort amongst the roses|Sunless Skies}} ''"A poet with eyes like a stormy sea approaches you. His fingertips are bleeding, dripping crimson into the wildflower carpet. "Bitten!" he cries, displaying his bloody fingers. "Oh! The insatiate rose!""''</ref>
<blockquote>''"As your eyes adjust to the illegal radiance of the sudden sunlight, you can see that the Arboretum has been entirely transformed. The statues are covered and crowned in wild roses of every possible colour. Impossible roses bloom on the throne and on the marble slabs on the ground. Celebrants run through fields of brightly-hued flowers, drinking and dancing and laughing."''<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Caduceus#The_Rites_of_the_Rose|The Rites of the Rose|Sunless Skies}}</ref></blockquote>The '''Rites of the Rose''' are the mysterious celebrations of Caduceus, during which the temple is bathed in [[sunlight]] and the roses start to bloom.<ref name=":2">{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Caduceus#The_Rites_of_the_Rose|The Rites of the Rose|Sunless Skies}} ''"As your eyes adjust to the illegal radiance of the sudden sunlight, you can see that the Arboretum has been entirely transformed. The statues are covered and crowned in wild roses of every possible colour. Impossible roses bloom on the throne and on the marble slabs on the ground."''</ref> Celebrants can be seen dancing and drinking their way through the fields where the Rose-Binders tend to the flowers.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Caduceus#The_Rites_of_the_Rose|The Rites of the Rose|Sunless Skies}} ''"Celebrants run through fields of brightly-hued flowers, drinking and dancing and laughing. "''</ref> Hissing can be heard from the bushes,<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Caduceus#The_Rites_of_the_Rose|Rest among the roses|Sunless Skies}} ''"You dream of a sunlit garden, where wine flows like honey, languorous and sweet. The air is filled with a drowsy humming and a quiet hissing."''</ref> and celebrants cavorting near them often have their fingers bitten.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Caduceus#The_Rites_of_the_Rose|Cavort amongst the roses|Sunless Skies}} ''"A poet with eyes like a stormy sea approaches you. His fingertips are bleeding, dripping crimson into the wildflower carpet. "Bitten!" he cries, displaying his bloody fingers. "Oh! The insatiate rose!""''</ref> The roses come in every imaginable color,<ref name=":2" /> but the black roses in particular contain "a promise" of "such wonderful things, as long as we return:"<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Caduceus#The_Rites_of_the_Rose|Take a gift of the rose|Sunless Skies|}} ''"The black rose draws back its petals like veils as you reach in to grasp the onyx. It is cold to the touch and stains your palm. "A promise," the celebrant says, a hungry smile on his face. "They promise such wonderful things. As long as we return." (Possible reference to the Fingerkings' failed attempt to possess the devils, in the bargain that made the devils "exiles" in the first place.)''</ref> a possible, if vague, reference to the bargain between [[devils]] and [[Fingerkings|dream-snakes]]<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Discovered:_A_Dark_Future|Discovered: A Dark Future|Fallen London}} ''"Book of Roses 3:7: AND THE EGLANTINE REGENT SAID unto the people: “I have signed a bargain with serpents; and I have given us a road to walk; and the mirrors shall open to us; and there we shall make new law; and there we shall draft the plans of a city that is already ours.” And upon hearing this, the people rejoiced."''</ref> that led the devils to [[Exile's Rose|exile]] from the [[High Wilderness]].<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Repentant_Devil#The_Repentant_Devil|Ask him about his memories of Caduceus|Sunless Skies}} ''""After the Well of the Wolf," [...] "the Devils could no longer remain in the sight of the Judgements: not if we intended to live. We escaped through Caduceus into Parabola, the place that is not; and from there onward. We were a people in exile. Not strong enough to take a place and hold it for our own. Not weak enough to be welcomed as refugees. It was an intolerable time and I take no pleasure in remembering it."''</ref>
[[File:Rose skies.png|thumb|100px|left|A Caducean Rose.]]
[[File:Rose skies.png|thumb|100px|left|A Caducean Rose.]]
When the roses fade and the sunlight dims, celebrants gather in the '''Hall of the Fiddler''' to participate in the '''Mystery of Beholding'''. Here they are each guided to pick a rose, each color of which will show them a specific future.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Caduceus#The_Rites_of_the_Rose|Participate in the Mystery of Beholding|Sunless Skies}} ''"Here a copse of roses the size of church windows bloom. Some are saffron-hued, others crimson, others azure. "Don't be afraid," the Rose-Binder at your ear says, "Look inside. They have something to show you.""''</ref> Celebrants that pick the rose of loss<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Caduceus#The_Rites_of_the_Rose|Participate in the Mystery of Beholding|Sunless Skies}} ''"The flower unfurls to show you a vision of yourself alone. No crew, no engine. Just you and the mirror, facing each other. The mirror begins to devour you."''</ref> are then allowed into the higher mystery called the '''Mystery of Indulgence'''. The Rose-Binders gather in the '''Hall of the Pipers''' and offer a choice of indulgences to the revelers:<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Caduceus#The_Rites_of_the_Rose|Participate in the Mystery of Indulgence|Sunless Skies}} ''"Celebrants throng a [...] Rose-Binder [...] she draws your attention to a fountain of wine [...] Then, she gestures to the celebrants around her, their mouths red and hungry. Finally, she begins stamping in time to the beat of the drum, sounding from far below the temple. She offers indulgences. Which will you partake in?"''</ref> wine,<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Caduceus#The_Rites_of_the_Rose|Participate in the Mystery of Indulgence (In Wine)|Sunless Skies}} ''"It floods down your throat [...] Celebrants link arms with you, and haul you into a dance. [...] You wake with your head throbbing in time to the drumbeat below. You are circled by applauding Rose-Binders."''</ref> dance,<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Caduceus#The_Rites_of_the_Rose|Participate in the Mystery of Indulgence (In Dance)|Sunless Skies}} ''"You writhe to the beat, worshipping and fearful, your limbs aflame like St Vitus, and your mind resounding with the drums below. You come to with a pair of Rose-Binders massaging your aching arms."''</ref> love,<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Caduceus#The_Rites_of_the_Rose|Participate in the Mystery of Indulgence (In Love)|Sunless Skies}} ''"You are adored, venerated, worshipped, and adore and venerate and worship in turn. Such heavenly creatures, all around you, and you one with them. You wake in a tangle of torn silks and limbs. A smirking Rose-Binder stands over you."''</ref> or sorrow.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Caduceus#The_Rites_of_the_Rose|Participate in the Mystery of Indulgence (In Sorrow)|Sunless Skies}} ''"A Rose-Binder offers you a chalice [...] They listen attentively as you recite your litany of woe. They offer a fresh perspective on each sorrow, revealing something about each encounter that you had not considered before. In every instance, it makes the memory worse. When the chalice is full, it is taken away."''</ref> After this rite, the celebrants leave a gift for the "insatiate rose" in the '''Hall of the Drummer''':<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Caduceus#The_Rites_of_the_Rose|Leave a gift for the roses|Sunless Skies}} ''"As the roses begin to fade, a Rose-Binder approaches. "Come, give a gift to the insatiate rose.""''</ref> a crew member, for those attending with their crew,<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Caduceus#The_Rites_of_the_Rose|Leave a gift for the roses|Sunless Skies}} ''"They do not speak to you, but have, apparently, divined the crewmember you'd have chosen. They are masked in crimson and bound in silk."''</ref> or a piece of their own flesh or mind.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Caduceus#The_Rites_of_the_Rose|Leave a gift for the roses|Sunless Skies}} ''"When you are reduced, your flesh is placed in the mouth of the rose, which closes and slowly,"''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Caduceus#The_Rites_of_the_Rose|Leave a gift for the roses|Sunless Skies}} ''"You do not remember what happens there; you wake, covered in nectar. Your eyes have to pried open from the pollen. There is an aching darkness behind your eyes. When you sleep, you will go there again."''</ref>
When the roses fade and the sunlight dims, celebrants gather in the '''Hall of the Fiddler''' to participate in the '''Mystery of Beholding'''. Here they are each guided to pick a rose, each color of which will show them a specific future.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Caduceus#The_Rites_of_the_Rose|Participate in the Mystery of Beholding|Sunless Skies}} ''"Here a copse of roses the size of church windows bloom. Some are saffron-hued, others crimson, others azure. "Don't be afraid," the Rose-Binder at your ear says, "Look inside. They have something to show you.""''</ref> Celebrants that pick the rose of loss<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Caduceus#The_Rites_of_the_Rose|Participate in the Mystery of Beholding|Sunless Skies}} ''"The flower unfurls to show you a vision of yourself alone. No crew, no engine. Just you and the mirror, facing each other. The mirror begins to devour you."''</ref> are then allowed into the higher mystery called the '''Mystery of Indulgence'''. The Rose-Binders gather in the '''Hall of the Pipers''' and offer a choice of indulgences to the revelers:<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Caduceus#The_Rites_of_the_Rose|Participate in the Mystery of Indulgence|Sunless Skies}} ''"Celebrants throng a [...] Rose-Binder [...] she draws your attention to a fountain of wine [...] Then, she gestures to the celebrants around her, their mouths red and hungry. Finally, she begins stamping in time to the beat of the drum, sounding from far below the temple. She offers indulgences. Which will you partake in?"''</ref> wine,<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Caduceus#The_Rites_of_the_Rose|Participate in the Mystery of Indulgence (In Wine)|Sunless Skies}} ''"It floods down your throat [...] Celebrants link arms with you, and haul you into a dance. [...] You wake with your head throbbing in time to the drumbeat below. You are circled by applauding Rose-Binders."''</ref> dance,<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Caduceus#The_Rites_of_the_Rose|Participate in the Mystery of Indulgence (In Dance)|Sunless Skies}} ''"You writhe to the beat, worshipping and fearful, your limbs aflame like St Vitus, and your mind resounding with the drums below. You come to with a pair of Rose-Binders massaging your aching arms."''</ref> love,<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Caduceus#The_Rites_of_the_Rose|Participate in the Mystery of Indulgence (In Love)|Sunless Skies}} ''"You are adored, venerated, worshipped, and adore and venerate and worship in turn. Such heavenly creatures, all around you, and you one with them. You wake in a tangle of torn silks and limbs. A smirking Rose-Binder stands over you."''</ref> or sorrow.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Caduceus#The_Rites_of_the_Rose|Participate in the Mystery of Indulgence (In Sorrow)|Sunless Skies}} ''"A Rose-Binder offers you a chalice [...] They listen attentively as you recite your litany of woe. They offer a fresh perspective on each sorrow, revealing something about each encounter that you had not considered before. In every instance, it makes the memory worse. When the chalice is full, it is taken away."''</ref> After this rite, the celebrants leave a gift for the "insatiate rose" in the '''Hall of the Drummer''':<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Caduceus#The_Rites_of_the_Rose|Leave a gift for the roses|Sunless Skies}} ''"As the roses begin to fade, a Rose-Binder approaches. "Come, give a gift to the insatiate rose.""''</ref> a crew member, for those attending with their crew,<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Caduceus#The_Rites_of_the_Rose|Leave a gift for the roses|Sunless Skies}} ''"They do not speak to you, but have, apparently, divined the crewmember you'd have chosen. They are masked in crimson and bound in silk."''</ref> or a piece of their own flesh or mind.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Caduceus#The_Rites_of_the_Rose|Leave a gift for the roses|Sunless Skies}} ''"When you are reduced, your flesh is placed in the mouth of the rose, which closes and slowly,"''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Caduceus#The_Rites_of_the_Rose|Leave a gift for the roses|Sunless Skies}} ''"You do not remember what happens there; you wake, covered in nectar. Your eyes have to pried open from the pollen. There is an aching darkness behind your eyes. When you sleep, you will go there again."''</ref>
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== Historical and Cultural Inspirations ==
== Historical and Cultural Inspirations ==
In addition to the obvious Ancient Greek aesthetic strewn about Caduceus - from its name, to the architecture, to the costume and thyrsus of the Thorn-Maiden - the Rite of Roses may take some inspiration from the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleusinian_Mysteries Eleusinian Mysteries]. These were initiations into the cult of Demeter and Persephone; the three phases represented Persephone's abduction by Hades, Demeter's search for her daughter, and their reunion. The reference is made a little more direct by "A Paeon for Persephone," the lengthy poem about the Thorned Maiden and her rites.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/A_Paeon_for_Persephone|A Paeon for Persephone|Sunless Skies}}</ref>  
In keeping with the obvious Ancient Greek aesthetic strewn about Caduceus - from its name, to the architecture, to the costume and thyrsus of the Thorn-Maiden - the Rite of Roses may take some inspiration from the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleusinian_Mysteries Eleusinian Mysteries]. These were initiations into the cult of Demeter and Persephone; the three phases represented Persephone's abduction by Hades, Demeter's search for her daughter, and their reunion. The reference is made a little more direct by "A Paeon for Persephone," the lengthy poem about the Thorned Maiden and her rites.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/A_Paeon_for_Persephone|A Paeon for Persephone|Sunless Skies}}</ref>  


The ''Prorrhesis''<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Rite_of_Prorrhesis|Rite of Prorrhesis|Sunless Skies}}</ref> was originally the announcement of the start of the Mysteries, inviting the pure of heart to participate. As for the name of the final stage of the Rite, ''Euryphaessa''<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/caduceus?so=search#The_Rites_of_the_Rose|Approach the Thorn-Maiden|Sunless Skies}} ''"You are still not ready for Euryphaessa. When the petals are about to fade. when the roses offer you much, give instead."''</ref> is an epithet for the Titan [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theia Theia] that literally means "wide-shining." Theia was the goddess of vision and value (i.e. giving gems and precious metals their high value), and the mother of Helios (the [[Sun]]), Selene (the [[Moon]]), and Eos (dawn).
The ''Prorrhesis''<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Rite_of_Prorrhesis|Rite of Prorrhesis|Sunless Skies}}</ref> was originally the announcement of the start of the Mysteries, inviting the pure of heart to participate. As for the name of the final stage of the Rite, ''Euryphaessa''<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/caduceus?so=search#The_Rites_of_the_Rose|Approach the Thorn-Maiden|Sunless Skies}} ''"You are still not ready for Euryphaessa. When the petals are about to fade. when the roses offer you much, give instead."''</ref> is an epithet for the Titan [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theia Theia] that literally means "wide-shining." Theia was the goddess of vision and value (i.e. giving gems and precious metals their high value), and the mother of Helios (the [[Sun]]), Selene (the [[Moon]]), and Eos (dawn).

Revision as of 02:22, 17 February 2025

"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.


"This is Caduceus, where devils keep a garden of roses."[1]

"The devils were here before me. They were wearing those masks when I arrived. This temple was once something else, something important to them. They reclaimed it, though for a new purpose."[2]

Caduceus is a temple located in Eleutheria. It is said that this is the only place in Eleutheria where sunlight can be seen.

Where the Roses Bloom

"A temple, garlanded with incarnadine flowers and wreathed with thorns, sits at the apex of Caduceus. It is drowsy with the scent of roses, though you can see none."[3]

Caduceus was the gateway to Parabola through which the devils escaped after their rebellion against the Judgements.[4] Now that they have returned millennia later, the devils use this place as grounds for a mysterious set of rituals called the Rites of the Rose.[5] They are joined by a ragtag bunch of bohemian artists, poets, and musicians[6] who have found themselves greatly inspired by roses.[7][8]

The devilish caretakers of this Grecian temple[9] are called the Rose-Binders. They tend the rose bushes that surround the temple,[10] perhaps even pampering them[11] even though they do not bloom,[10] and are engaged in a constant struggle to keep overgrowth from destroying the temple.[12] The Rose-Binders have also erected shrines, statues, and frescoes here[13] that are devoted to the musical Saints of Hell.[14][15]

There is a labyrinth of caverns under the temple of Caduceus;[16] deep within resides one of the Saints, the Drummer. He is contained in a gargantuan glass vessel resembling a heart,[17] and it is he who determines who is worthy to participate in the Rites. His drumbeats can be heard reverberating throughout Caduceus; none can resist dancing along.[18] There is also a pool in these caverns, lit by moonish light and located beside a ruined temple.[19] Those with worthy souls may drink the water of this pool to commune with the Drummer and be admitted to the Rites of the Rose.[20]

In typical diabolical fashion, individuals with "aesthetically displeasing" souls are ignored by the residents of Caduceus. Those that have cold or "dull" souls are advised to improve their soul in Carillon.[21][22]

The Thorn-Maiden

The Thorn-Maiden

"I found Caduceus not long after I arrived in Eleutheria. I was frustrated with the methodologies of Winter's Reside. Where was the poetry? Where the beauty in all the horror?"[23]

The ritual leader of the Rite of the Rose is the Thorn-Maiden: crowned in leaves and thorns, adorned with jewels, and carrying a stave coiled with snakes.[24] Her voice expresses no emotion[25] and seems to have been altered in some way,[26] and she speaks cryptically of alliances between great powers,[27] but her impatient and ambitious personality certainly shines through.[28]

The Thorn-Maiden is a former revolutionary who left Winter's Reside due to ideological differences with the Calendar Council; she was unable to see beauty and poetry in the Liberation.[29] She does not clarify why she was chosen for her role by the Rose-Binders, who preceded her arrival.[30] Interestingly, like the devils', her sense of style is rather anachronistic; perhaps she learned a few tricks from them?

The Rites of the Rose

"As your eyes adjust to the illegal radiance of the sudden sunlight, you can see that the Arboretum has been entirely transformed. The statues are covered and crowned in wild roses of every possible colour. Impossible roses bloom on the throne and on the marble slabs on the ground. Celebrants run through fields of brightly-hued flowers, drinking and dancing and laughing."[31]

The Rites of the Rose are the mysterious celebrations of Caduceus, during which the temple is bathed in sunlight and the roses start to bloom.[32] Celebrants can be seen dancing and drinking their way through the fields where the Rose-Binders tend to the flowers.[33] Hissing can be heard from the bushes,[34] and celebrants cavorting near them often have their fingers bitten.[35] The roses come in every imaginable color,[32] but the black roses in particular contain "a promise" of "such wonderful things, as long as we return:"[36] a possible, if vague, reference to the bargain between devils and dream-snakes[37] that led the devils to exile from the High Wilderness.[38]

A Caducean Rose.

When the roses fade and the sunlight dims, celebrants gather in the Hall of the Fiddler to participate in the Mystery of Beholding. Here they are each guided to pick a rose, each color of which will show them a specific future.[39] Celebrants that pick the rose of loss[40] are then allowed into the higher mystery called the Mystery of Indulgence. The Rose-Binders gather in the Hall of the Pipers and offer a choice of indulgences to the revelers:[41] wine,[42] dance,[43] love,[44] or sorrow.[45] After this rite, the celebrants leave a gift for the "insatiate rose" in the Hall of the Drummer:[46] a crew member, for those attending with their crew,[47] or a piece of their own flesh or mind.[48][49]

Finally, after "the roses have taken enough of them,"[50][51] full initiates are directed to the marble wall behind the Thorn-Maiden's throne, where the sunlight shines the strongest.[52] The marble "wall" is in fact a mirror and thus a gateway to Parabola.[53] Behind the glass is a garden where the Rose-Binders and many-armed devils tend wild roses,[54] and something slithering can be seen in the shadows.[55] Not all celebrants return from behind the mirror...[56][57]

"Enjoy the sunlight," says the Thorn-Maiden. "I shall bring it home, one day soon."[58]

Historical and Cultural Inspirations

In keeping with the obvious Ancient Greek aesthetic strewn about Caduceus - from its name, to the architecture, to the costume and thyrsus of the Thorn-Maiden - the Rite of Roses may take some inspiration from the Eleusinian Mysteries. These were initiations into the cult of Demeter and Persephone; the three phases represented Persephone's abduction by Hades, Demeter's search for her daughter, and their reunion. The reference is made a little more direct by "A Paeon for Persephone," the lengthy poem about the Thorned Maiden and her rites.[59]

The Prorrhesis[60] was originally the announcement of the start of the Mysteries, inviting the pure of heart to participate. As for the name of the final stage of the Rite, Euryphaessa[61] is an epithet for the Titan Theia that literally means "wide-shining." Theia was the goddess of vision and value (i.e. giving gems and precious metals their high value), and the mother of Helios (the Sun), Selene (the Moon), and Eos (dawn).

There is a particularly long list of references to other parts of ancient history thrown into descriptions of Caduceus, but these do not appear to be as relevant.

References

  1. ↑ Log Entries, Sunless Skies
  2. ↑ The Thorn-Maiden, Sunless Skies
  3. ↑ The Place of the Rose, Sunless Skies
  4. ↑ An Ancient Refuge Site, Fallen London "Once the devils were fleeing an ancient enemy, of overwhelming force, and they came here, swarming from a place called Caduceus into Parabola."
  5. ↑ Participate in the Rite of the Rose, Sunless Skies "For those suitably attuned, the Thorn-Maiden is willing to perform the Rites of the Rose. It is the great mystery at Caduceus' heart."
  6. ↑ Write a Port Report, Sunless Skies "Poets and musicians write rhapsodies on roses that never appear."
  7. ↑ Investigate the temple, Sunless Skies "Within the space bounded by the bushes, the bohemians make their art, all of it on the subject of roses."
  8. ↑ Talk to the Bohemians, Sunless Skies "A louche youth [...] invites you into his little company. They sit before the throne, painting roses onto each other's bodies. [...] An elderly poet, his moustaches ringed with roses, explains that they are merely passing the time. "We are somewhat listless between the rites," he explains. "When the sunlight pours through and we may taste the rose.""
  9. ↑ Explore the temple, Sunless Skies "Corinthian columns line the processional, though their capitals bear budding roses rather than acanthus leaves."
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Investigate the temple, Sunless Skies "Thorn-bushes, bereft of roses, encircle the chamber. The plants are tended by devils in crimson masks. These devils are the Rose-Binders of Caduceus."
  11. ↑ Observe the Rose-Binders at work, Sunless Skies "Only the flowerless rose-bushes are afforded mercy. These are trimmed and tended, primped and perfumed. As you watch, a deviless calls over a compatriot. They mournfully examine the coils of a bush gone grey. Eventually, and with a great deal of ceremony, they begin to uproot it."
  12. ↑ Observe the Rose-Binders at work, Sunless Skies "The masked devils menace the greenery encroaching on the temple with severe secateurs. Marble walls crack with creeping vines and tumbling flora – they rip and crush with equanimity. Theirs is an uncompromising battle to prevent the temple's decay. Only the flowerless rose-bushes are afforded mercy."
  13. ↑ Investigate the temple, Sunless Skies "Frescoes depict a troupe of musicians marching towards a slender mirror: pipers, flautists, drummers, all. Statues of serpents coil over the musicians. Thorn-bushes, bereft of roses, encircle the chamber. The plants are tended by devils in crimson masks. These devils are the Rose-Binders of Caduceus."
  14. ↑ Investigate the temple, Sunless Skies "Marble statues of devils line the aisles. [...] The detail is breathtaking: their lyres and lutes, flutes and fiddles, drums and dulcimers are so perfectly carved that, but for the material, they could be real."
  15. ↑ Explore the temple, Sunless Skies "The temple contains a multitude of shrines, scattered throughout the complex like links on a chain. Each holds a reliquary to a single figure. One is to the Fiddler, another to the Piper, a third to the Drummer, the Chorister and the Violist. The Rose-Binders treat these shrines with a reverence that borders on fear."
  16. ↑ The Darkling Caverns, Sunless Skies "Underneath the dome of Caduceus is a warren of caverns. A labyrinth of caves, walled with slabs of volcanic black glass, burrow their way through the rock. A steady drum beat thrums through the walls, echoing from somewhere deeper."
  17. ↑ Entreat the Drummer, Sunless Skies "In the deepest nook of Caduceus, you find a glass vessel; the size and shape of a gargantuan heart. Something alive trembles within. A talon taps against the glass; the ground shivers with each subsequent tap. Your feet dance involuntarily across the rock. Your body will remember the sequence; even as your mind revolts. The steps are the message, sounded in the dance-alphabet of the infernal. Eventually, the drumming stops."
  18. ↑ Entreat the Drummer, Sunless Skies "Below Caduceus, the Drummer plays. One of the greatest Saints of Hell, all Caduceus dances to his beat."
  19. ↑ A Moonlit Pool, Sunless Skies "You emerge into a cavern lit by moonish light pouring through a crack in the roof. A broken temple stands before a pool of dark water. The deviless bids you to kneel by the pool and drink."
  20. ↑ Drink deeply, Sunless Skies "You feel the water lapping against your chin, your mouth, your tongue. It tastes rich as wine [...] The drumbeat here [...] is louder. It grows louder still, insistent and incessant. The cavern vibrates with it— The deviless pulls you from the water. "The Drummer deems you worthy.""
  21. ↑ Try to speak with the Thorn Maiden, Sunless Skies "It's your soul, you see. The Rose-Binders are devils, yes? They have ways of knowing these things. You must have damaged your soul somehow. Made it aesthetically displeasing. [...] You should go to Carillon. In the Reach. They'll put you right."
  22. ↑ A Moonlit Pool, Sunless Skies
  23. ↑ Ask about Caduceus, Sunless Skies
  24. ↑ Talk to the Thorn-Maiden, Sunless Skies "Her crown is thorned, her stave coiled with snakes. Her eyes are quiet as an ox's. As you approach, she raises a hand, bedecked with rings of white sapphires."
  25. ↑ Ask about Caduceus, Sunless Skies "Her voice is without any affect. The intonation is hollow."
  26. ↑ The Thorn-Maiden, Sunless Skies "How may I serve?" she asks. Her voice resonates like beaten bronze."
  27. ↑ What is going on here?, Sunless Skies "She whispers: "There is a gate behind the glass. There is a kingdom that is not. There is a sky more sunless. There are promises that beguile and dreams that do not lie. All impossible. All attainable. This was once an escape; now it shall be a union. Three powers conjoined, like serpents on a staff." She leans back and looks away."
  28. ↑ How is she?, Sunless Skies "Is it obvious?" Her tone doesn't change. "The waiting between rites becomes more intolerable. All these people [...] venerating me, but all they care for are the roses. I am a link in the chain, not the pearl in the crown."
  29. ↑ Ask about Caduceus, Sunless Skies "I found Caduceus not long after I arrived in Eleutheria. I was frustrated with the methodologies of Winter's Reside. Where was the poetry? Where the beauty in all the horror?"
  30. ↑ Ask about Caduceus, Sunless Skies "The devils were here before me. They were wearing those masks when I arrived. This temple was once something else, something important to them. They reclaimed it, though for a new purpose."
  31. ↑ The Rites of the Rose, Sunless Skies
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 The Rites of the Rose, Sunless Skies "As your eyes adjust to the illegal radiance of the sudden sunlight, you can see that the Arboretum has been entirely transformed. The statues are covered and crowned in wild roses of every possible colour. Impossible roses bloom on the throne and on the marble slabs on the ground."
  33. ↑ The Rites of the Rose, Sunless Skies "Celebrants run through fields of brightly-hued flowers, drinking and dancing and laughing. "
  34. ↑ Rest among the roses, Sunless Skies "You dream of a sunlit garden, where wine flows like honey, languorous and sweet. The air is filled with a drowsy humming and a quiet hissing."
  35. ↑ Cavort amongst the roses, Sunless Skies "A poet with eyes like a stormy sea approaches you. His fingertips are bleeding, dripping crimson into the wildflower carpet. "Bitten!" he cries, displaying his bloody fingers. "Oh! The insatiate rose!""
  36. ↑ Take a gift of the rose, Sunless Skies "The black rose draws back its petals like veils as you reach in to grasp the onyx. It is cold to the touch and stains your palm. "A promise," the celebrant says, a hungry smile on his face. "They promise such wonderful things. As long as we return." (Possible reference to the Fingerkings' failed attempt to possess the devils, in the bargain that made the devils "exiles" in the first place.)
  37. ↑ Discovered: A Dark Future, Fallen London "Book of Roses 3:7: AND THE EGLANTINE REGENT SAID unto the people: “I have signed a bargain with serpents; and I have given us a road to walk; and the mirrors shall open to us; and there we shall make new law; and there we shall draft the plans of a city that is already ours.” And upon hearing this, the people rejoiced."
  38. ↑ Ask him about his memories of Caduceus, Sunless Skies ""After the Well of the Wolf," [...] "the Devils could no longer remain in the sight of the Judgements: not if we intended to live. We escaped through Caduceus into Parabola, the place that is not; and from there onward. We were a people in exile. Not strong enough to take a place and hold it for our own. Not weak enough to be welcomed as refugees. It was an intolerable time and I take no pleasure in remembering it."
  39. ↑ Participate in the Mystery of Beholding, Sunless Skies "Here a copse of roses the size of church windows bloom. Some are saffron-hued, others crimson, others azure. "Don't be afraid," the Rose-Binder at your ear says, "Look inside. They have something to show you.""
  40. ↑ Participate in the Mystery of Beholding, Sunless Skies "The flower unfurls to show you a vision of yourself alone. No crew, no engine. Just you and the mirror, facing each other. The mirror begins to devour you."
  41. ↑ Participate in the Mystery of Indulgence, Sunless Skies "Celebrants throng a [...] Rose-Binder [...] she draws your attention to a fountain of wine [...] Then, she gestures to the celebrants around her, their mouths red and hungry. Finally, she begins stamping in time to the beat of the drum, sounding from far below the temple. She offers indulgences. Which will you partake in?"
  42. ↑ Participate in the Mystery of Indulgence (In Wine), Sunless Skies "It floods down your throat [...] Celebrants link arms with you, and haul you into a dance. [...] You wake with your head throbbing in time to the drumbeat below. You are circled by applauding Rose-Binders."
  43. ↑ Participate in the Mystery of Indulgence (In Dance), Sunless Skies "You writhe to the beat, worshipping and fearful, your limbs aflame like St Vitus, and your mind resounding with the drums below. You come to with a pair of Rose-Binders massaging your aching arms."
  44. ↑ Participate in the Mystery of Indulgence (In Love), Sunless Skies "You are adored, venerated, worshipped, and adore and venerate and worship in turn. Such heavenly creatures, all around you, and you one with them. You wake in a tangle of torn silks and limbs. A smirking Rose-Binder stands over you."
  45. ↑ Participate in the Mystery of Indulgence (In Sorrow), Sunless Skies "A Rose-Binder offers you a chalice [...] They listen attentively as you recite your litany of woe. They offer a fresh perspective on each sorrow, revealing something about each encounter that you had not considered before. In every instance, it makes the memory worse. When the chalice is full, it is taken away."
  46. ↑ Leave a gift for the roses, Sunless Skies "As the roses begin to fade, a Rose-Binder approaches. "Come, give a gift to the insatiate rose.""
  47. ↑ Leave a gift for the roses, Sunless Skies "They do not speak to you, but have, apparently, divined the crewmember you'd have chosen. They are masked in crimson and bound in silk."
  48. ↑ Leave a gift for the roses, Sunless Skies "When you are reduced, your flesh is placed in the mouth of the rose, which closes and slowly,"
  49. ↑ Leave a gift for the roses, Sunless Skies "You do not remember what happens there; you wake, covered in nectar. Your eyes have to pried open from the pollen. There is an aching darkness behind your eyes. When you sleep, you will go there again."
  50. ↑ Approach the Thorn-Maiden, Sunless Skies "I think you are ready. The roses have taken enough of you."
  51. ↑ Approach the Thorn-Maiden, Sunless Skies "The kingdom is almost at hand. You have almost paid your way. They have tasted of your tears and seen into your soul. [...] If you wish passage to the garden behind the glass, leave a gift in a rose as they fade.""
  52. ↑ Approach the Thorn-Maiden, Sunless Skies "She leads you behind her marble throne to where the sunlight is strongest, radiant as a new-born star."
  53. ↑ Approach the Thorn-Maiden, Sunless Skies "You touch the wall to discover it is not cold marble, but glass – then your hand passes through entirely. The heat of sunlight is on your hands. The cloying scent of roses is almost overwhelming."
  54. ↑ Approach the Thorn-Maiden, Sunless Skies "You stand in a garden beneath an amber sky. Wild roses cover arbours. Rose-Binders tend hedges. Larger shapes, akin to the devils, but much longer and with many more limbs, assist them."
  55. ↑ Approach the Thorn-Maiden, Sunless Skies "Something slithers through the shadows. The Thorn-Maiden places her hand on your shoulder. "No closer.""
  56. ↑ Approach the Thorn-Maiden, Sunless Skies "The Thorn-Maiden returns without your signaller. "I'm sorry," she says, "Sometimes they decide to stay.""
  57. ↑ Return to the Ebullient Decadent, Sunless Skies "The flautist frowns. "He did say something about new pastures. And then the Thorn Maiden chose him to attend her at the next rite." The flautist shrugs."
  58. ↑ Approach the Thorn-Maiden, Sunless Skies
  59. ↑ A Paeon for Persephone, Sunless Skies
  60. ↑ Rite of Prorrhesis, Sunless Skies
  61. ↑ [Approach the Thorn-Maiden Sunless Skies, {{{3}}}] "You are still not ready for Euryphaessa. When the petals are about to fade. when the roses offer you much, give instead."
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