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"The Debtor cannot be woken. When he wakes, his debt will be due, and all of the interest as well. His promise was sworn by the Cedar that stood in the square of the first of all cities. It hears him still."[3]
The Sleeping Merchant is a man from the First City who made a perilous deal with the Creditor.
The Sleeping Merchant was once a rich and generous merchant from the First City. Unfortunately, his wealth evaporated after the city Fell, so he planned a caravan west to the Hinterlands with the Manager's permission, making promises and business deals as he prepared. In the process, he somehow procured the seal of the Echo Bazaar itself.[5] Once his journey began, however, his venture drew the attention of the Creditor.[6]
The Merchant was brought to the Magistracy of the Evenlode,[7] the Creditor's court.[8][9] The Creditor was worried that the First City's inhabitants would damage the Hinterlands, so it demanded the Bazaar provide collateral as insurance against this.[10] For reasons unknown, this toll ended up being measured against every soul in the Neath.[11] The Merchant, desperate to escape[12] and ignorant of the Neath's true population,[13] used the Bazaar's seal to promise this payment.[14]
Sealed
"The Merchant will not wake. Mr Mirrors did solid work there."
"Mr Mirrors may have sealed him into Parabola. But there are many people now who might unseal him again."[15]
Dreams of a caravan.
As it turned out, the Bazaar would not be able to pay the gage promised without liquidating the entire city and potentially itself.[16][17] Thus, the Masters sealed the Merchant in a permanent slumber,[18] and his physical body was interred within the Octagonal Tomb.[19] This plan froze the debt temporarily, but should the Merchant wake again, the debt will be due.[20]
Now, the Merchant dreams of his caravan as if his journey had just begun,[21] but time did not wait for him: his body is now withered,[22] and his kith and kin have long passed away.[23]
↑Let the Efficient Commissioner ask questions while you walk, Fallen London"[...] before the fall. [...] a benefactor to the people who knew him. The Fall [...] took it all away." [...] "After [...] he tried to... compensate. To provide for everyone in his care. [...] no longer had trading partners, [...] So he begged my permission to begin a new caravan, to re-establish his wealth [...] He borrowed [...] begged [...] promised [...] negotiated, [...] to the point of receiving the Bazaar's own Seal."
↑Breathe an ancient air, Fallen London"One defendant at a time [...] before this Judge – summoned here if they tried to pass through these lands without leave. [...] The Merchant [...]"
↑Breathe an ancient air, Fallen London"Sometimes it was a capacious and echoing chamber, [...] The Merchant, [...] had promised so much [...] he had to crawl on hands and knees [...]"
↑Meaning what, precisely?, Fallen London""A gage is a pledge of good faith," [...] it was meant to represent the promise that the Bazaar would prevent its people from causing too much damage."
↑The Nature of the Debt, Fallen London"A price charged for crossing [...] calculated on the number of souls in the whole Neath – [...] Why would you [...] cost even for people [...] not going through the tollgate?"
↑The Debt, Fallen London"A payment for every soul in the Neath," [...] "The Merchant only knew his [...] city; [...] miscounted the cost.""
↑Breathe an ancient air, Fallen London"The Merchant, [...] To escape [...] he promised [...] on behalf of himself, and on behalf of the Bazaar. He pressed his seal [...]"
↑[Ask_what_might_happen_if_the_Creditor_does_contact_the_Bazaar editor does contact the Bazaar, Fallen London] ""The most likely outcome," [...] "is that the Bazaar would attempt to honour the debt [...] even if [...] damaging to London, or fatal to itself.""
↑The Sleeper, Fallen London"The Debtor cannot be woken [...] When he wakes, his debt will be due, [...] the loophole [...] that sent the Debtor to sleep instead."
