The Bandaged Poissonnier

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"To be edible, is to be possible to be consumed. And to be living, is to consume. Thus we find that the nature of the unliving is to be consumed. In fact, therefore, anything that is not living may be consumed - "[1]

The Bandaged Poissonnier is a tomb-colonist and skilled chef.

Neath's Kitchen

"He has an ambition for fish. A great ambition."[2]

The Bandaged Poissonnier is a tomb-colonist with a passion for cooking.[3] He owns a restaurant in Venderbight called The Vengeance of Jonah,[4] which has a reputation for being "liberal in its approach to edibility."[5] He also cooks for restaurants in London,[6] such as Mallerby's in Veilgarden.[7]

A fork and knife.
Hungry?

The Poissonnier's views on food are eccentric: he believes that anything nonliving can be consumed.[8] His ingredients are outlandish, ranging from a peligin paste[9] to spices from Parabola.[4] He can reverse-engineer dishes through experiments[10] to enumerate their ingredients and preparation,[11] and he may use unusual methods for preparing meals; one dish requires boiling meats in the creature's own venom.[5] He designs his own kitchen appliances that make his craft appear more alchemical than culinary, including braising-alembics,[12] athanor-stoves[13] and jugging-crucibles.[11]

The Poissonnier hopes to discover the Seventh Sensation, "the taste that one tastes with the heart."[12] It is said that he has already discovered seven pleasant, seven unpleasant, and seven neutral flavors.[4] Despite all his talents, the Poissonnier feels his skills have diminished with age.[14]

Backstory

"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.


"I've given everything for my art. Should I not be proud? Above, I served the royalty of Europe. Below, I cooked for the Empress' children, until they began to prefer their food raw. Or alive. I fed the Khan! A pleasure – before he demanded horse curds in every dish. I bore it. But when my whipped jillyfleur was sent back, I told him to stuff himself full of his precious curds. I left Khan's Heart that night; first boat out. Not even a goodbye to my wife or child."[15]

"Captain, a word of advice: do not divide yourself. Learn what matters to you. Pursue it avidly. It is kinder not to give in the first place, than it is to take back what you have given."[16]

A city of canals and lights.
Khan's Heart

The Poissonnier spent his early days on the Surface and served the royals of Europe. After the Fall of London, he served meals for the Empress' children, until their tastes grew grotesque. The Poissonnier then departed for the Khanate and worked for the Khan himself.[17] He married the niece of a official from the Taimen Clan,[18] and had a son with her.[19]

Eventually, the Poissonnier grew exhausted with the Khan's taste for horse milk curds; when his jillyfleur dish was rejected, he insulted the Khan and fled the Khanate without saying goodbye to his family.[20] Despite his dedication towards his craft,[21] the Poissonnier misses his wife and son. He still feels the weight of his decision[16] and sometimes observes their lives from afar.[19]

The Seventh Miracle

"I have cooked for barons and bishops. The Khan. The Empress. But there is one for whom I have not cooked. A creature of singular and acroamatic tastes. I want to make him marvel! The chef's art is alchemy, and this would be my philosopher's stone. My immortality."[14]

"The diners lean back, bloated. When their senses return, they call for the Poissonnier and congratulate him upon impeccably reproducing the sensation of drowning in culinary form. "It was not drowning," the Fathomking says, his baritone rolling over their babble. "It was love.""[22]

A crowned man with pearl-eyes and green skin.
The Fathomking

The Poissonnier's ultimate ambition[14] is to serve his magnum opus, the Seventh Miracle,[22] to the Fathomking and his court.[23][22] This seven-course feast replicates the feeling of drowning, though the Fathomking would describe it as as "love."[22]

The courses of the feast are:[22]

  1. The First Touch on the Skin: a dish of pale flesh in yellow sauce with a fresh and exciting taste.
  2. Struggling Against the Current: an eye-watering terrine.
  3. "Swallowed!": a peligin soup with a deep and weighty taste.
  4. The Surface, High Above: a mousse that cleanses the palate.
  5. Lost Breath: a roulade made of wriggling tentacles, initially bitter with a milder aftertaste.
  6. The Abandonment of the Self: a dish of orbs made of hardened, salted syrup containing sweetmeats.
  7. The Promise of What is to Follow: a crème brûlée described as pungent and "indescribably 'more-ish.'"

References

  1. ↑ Culinary philosophies, Sunless Sea
  2. ↑ Character description, Sunless Sea
  3. ↑ Visit a certain little restaurant, Sunless Sea
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Sample today's special, Sunless Sea
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Offer a Strange Catch, Sunless Sea
  6. ↑ Collect a Confession from the Bandaged Poissonnier, Fallen London
  7. ↑ "Fish! Who'll buy my fine blind fish?", Fallen London
  8. ↑ Increase your Hearts, Sunless Sea
  9. ↑ A hurried interview, Fallen London "He daubs the headless fish with a peligin paste [...]"
  10. ↑ Find someone to teach secrets of butchery to the Bandaged Poissonnier, Sunless Sea
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 He pokes his head from the galley, Sunless Sea
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Recruit the Bandaged Poissonnier, Sunless Sea
  13. ↑ Hand over a Strange Catch for his culinary masterpiece, Sunless Sea
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Dine with the Ba-, Sunless Sea
  15. ↑ A hurried interview, Fallen London
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Allow him his privacy, Sunless Sea
  17. ↑ A hurried interview, Fallen London ""Above, I served [...] royalty of Europe. Below, I cooked for the Empress' children, until they began to prefer their food raw. Or alive." [...] "I fed the Khan!" [...] I left Khan's Heart [...]"
  18. ↑ Betray the Bandaged Poissonnier's trust, Fallen London "If he thinks he can boast about abandoning my niece—" [....] "I – and the Taimen – appreciate your confidence in me [...]"
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Follow him in secret, Sunless Sea
  20. ↑ A hurried interview, Fallen London ""I fed the Khan!" [...] "A pleasure – before he demanded horse curds in every dish. I bore it. But when my whipped jillyfleur was sent back, I told him to stuff himself full of his precious curds. I left Khan's Heart that night; [...] Not even a goodbye to my wife or child.""
  21. ↑ A hurried interview, Fallen London ""I've given everything for my art. Should I not be proud?""
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 22.3 22.4 Attend the Poissonnier's feast, Sunless Sea
  23. ↑ Deliver a Colossal Fluke-Core to the galley, Sunless Sea
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