Mr Eaten
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WARNING: Beyond this point lie spoilers for Fallen London's most infamous storyline: Seeking Mr Eaten's Name. Turn back now. You can find out more about our spoiler policy here. |
"Who is Mr Eaten? A good question. Not a wise one." (If you find the answer to this, you'll wish you didn't know.)
"I have so often been consumed."
Mr Eaten an inescapable, sagacious and perilous entity of unspecified gender. Something is wrong here. The circumstances surrounding its death, during the fall of the Third City, continue to cast a shadow over events in the Neath. Almost all of the who, what, and why surrounding this creature are waterlogged in mysteries so deep that they drown even the most resilient of enquirers. One thing is known however: a reckoning will not be postponed indefinitely.
What is Forgotten?
"The light on the edge of sleep was mine. I was Mr Candles. I will not be again."
Formerly known as Mr Candles, it was one of the eleven Masters of the Bazaar, overseeing trade in lamps and candles and holding authority over dreams. It may also have been responsible for brokering the Bazaar's contract with the Flukes of Axile. Alongside Mr Cups (or Wines), it was likely responsible for the Fall of the First City.
The Second City was a major setback for the Bazaar, as it was somehow trapped and deceived by the deal that was brokered. As a result, the Masters and the Bazaar began to starve, and in their desperation, decided that Candles was a liability.
What is Due?
"Is it opening, now, does it open? Are there snares we can grasp, to place them tinily in our flesh, as we will take the flesh of Vake-the-betrayer, black as the knives? Dear deep void those knives. My flesh was not meant for them. And their teeth like the tenderness of insects. Ah, ah, ah, ah."
At some point around 900-1000 CE, the Bazaar arranged for the purchase of the Third City, offering its priest-kings the flesh of a god as their price. Mr Veils lured Mr Candles to the Third City under false pretenses of friendship, but this was in fact a betrayal. Mr Candles was drowned in a well underneath a temple, and the priest-kings consumed its flesh, becoming the God-Eaters. Its remains were likely buried somewhere in the northernmost reaches of the Neath.
Following Candles' death, the Masters erased all records of its existence and knowledge of its name.
Who is Salt?
"The man who calls himself Nicator blinks. "I don't understand. Who do you think will come, when you call? Tell – please tell me – you will bring light to the Neath. The White's plan—""
Mr Eaten still holds considerable power and influence over the Neath, despite its death. It is capable of projecting its voice from the roar of deep water or as an echo from wells, but is at its most powerful in Parabola, and as such it communicates mainly through dreams. It holds a bitter grudge against the Bazaar and the Masters, and Veils in particular, and is actively seeking revenge against them. It seems to have a strong influence in the northern area of Void's Approach, and its worshipers can be found in the Chapel of Lights.
Mr Eaten is allied closely with the Lorn-Flukes, and has its own human servants, known as Seekers of the Name, who receive its commands through dreams. Dreams sent by Mr Eaten generally involve themes of water, candles, and cannibalism, as well as an overarching command to travel North.
