The House of Rods and Chains

"The House of Rods and Chains; a ruined palace atop a rotting Messenger. Now home to uninvited guests of a rubbery persuasion."

"You near the House of Rods and Chains, a ruined complex atop a great dead beast. Once it was the favourite Messenger of the sun. Before it disobeyed."

"The Repentant Devil examines the House of Rods and Chains from the window. 'A reminder of how the Judgements treat those who defy them.'"

"Your Aunt is lost in thought. 'Hm? Oh, sorry. It reminds me of old London, and the Echo Bazaar.'"

Art from Sunless Skies

The House of Rods and Chains is the remains of a dead space crab that floats near the Halved, in Eleutheria. Once it was "the favourite messenger of the sun" - or in this case, the suns, because the Halved was once a binary star. The Halved murdered it for defying an unknown command, after which its servants fled - all seven, except for one.

Similar to the The Echo Bazaar, seven spires once stretched across the messenger's carapace, though only one remains intact. It still has seven doors, though of course they differ from the Bazaar's. The Bazaar's doors are Ormolu, Teeth, Copper, Glass, Ivory, Paper, and Steel; the House's doors are Leather, Rubber, Chitin, Scale, Fur, Flesh, and Feather. 

It is home to Rubbery Men, which came from London "in a ship forged from broken shells," and its sole remaining Master. There are also zee-captains, who are mysteriously covered in eye markings.

Mr Barleycorn

"There were seven of us, once. Outcasts, bound to this Messenger's service. But the Messenger defied the Halved's command, and the Halved slew it. We were free. My colleagues, fled. But I remained to serve the Halved." "Tell the chained one — tell the chained one we still wait in the dark. When it has the courage to break its chain, we will be here." Mr Barleycorn, known as the Seneschal, is the only Master that remains loyal to the Halved. Various revolutionaries hope to gain its favor, so that it may relay their message to the Halved. According to the Supplicant of the Berrenger, this Master is fond of stories, music, and information. Specifically, it seems interested in the fate of the other Masters who fled. It seems to dislike the Rubbery Men that inhabit the corpse, as they are bad at communicating. It does, however, fond of the amber that they produce.

Mr. Pennies

:"Everything ends," the figure wheezes. "Even law. For everything, a reckoning. Need help. Need hours. Postpone reckoning. Shadows with thistle ropes and broken wings, waiting on riverbank to catch final breath. Everything dies. Must outlast. We trade, yes? Trade Hours? We trade Hours now, yes? Good quality merchandise..."" "If the boon of a long-life is that one out-lasts one's mistakes, its curse is that they nip at your heels for eternity. I wonder what Mr Pennies hides from. Perhaps one day I will ask, before I too beg for protection under the mountain." Mr Pennies, known as the Caretaker, fled to Lustrum after the death of its messenger. There it sells various artifacts and rusted coins in exchange for Hours. It is additionally taking care of several dying elderly Curators. It uses a half-broken Red Science device fueled by Hours to delay their deaths.

Mr Menagerie

"The light binds. The light blinds. All things it places in a chain. Our place is our worth. Some accept; we liberated." "I confess, I am amazed it has survived. My master was not tolerant of its various weaknesses. Its single-mindedness; its cleaving to antiquated custom. How it chafed at its chains." Mr Menagerie, known as the Runt, is the most rebellious of the seven Masters of this space crab. It travels across the High Wilderness selling animals.

Mr Pipes

"A serving boy returns, bowing apologetically. Mr Pipes is relaxing and has no interest in either chitter or chatter. If you have business, you may present it to one of the staff. Otherwise, his master encourages you to avail yourself of the facilities." ""Perhaps it is true that we live too long." Mr Barleycorn daubs the seal in ink and presses it to paper. "I suppose there are less pleasurable paths to follow, though the emptiness awaiting at the end of that one's will be dark indeed. I favour music, myself. A symphony is as potent to me as good wine is to you. Your kind have been bounteous in that regard." Mr Pipes, known as the Hedonist, is the space-bat proprietor of the House of Silks, a hookah establishment in Achlys. The locals see it very rarely; it's too busy relaxing. Its rare appearances are usually in order to apprehend smugglers who deliver red honey to its property.