Revolutionaries

From The Fifth City Wiki
Revision as of 17:57, 28 November 2022 by KestrelGirl (talk | contribs)

"Are you quite sure you want to know this?"

Beyond this point lie major spoilers for Fallen London, Sunless Sea, Sunless Skies, or Mask of the Rose. This may include endgame or major Fate-locked spoilers. Proceed at your own risk.

You can find out more about our spoiler policy here.


"Some call them the dynamite faction, but they're very far from united. Socialists, anarchists, foreign agents: only their hatred of the Masters unites them."[1]

Most Revolutionaries oppose the Bazaar and the Masters, though this group... isn't really a group.

The Calendar Council

The Calendar Council is the primary revolutionary organization in London. Its members, named after the months of the year, are for the most part plotting and planning for their end goal, the Liberation of Night. The philosophy behind it is spreading across the Unterzee and up to the Surface, and predates the Council itself.[2]

  • The title of January has been passed down at least once;[3] the current iteration of January is the Masked Curator. She founded the Museum of Injustice, which exhibits many forms and acts of oppression.[4] She was the former Dean of Benthic, and has written a book called Liber Stinguendi.[5] As of 1906 in the Sunless Skies timeline, she leads the settlement of Pan in Eleutheria, and heads the Calendar Council's base there.[6]
  • February is searching for the Cave of the Nadir in the Forgotten Quarter, as it is of great interest to her cause.[7] She's also involved in Knife-and-Candle, as a patron in the Moon League, and is a sworn rival of Mr Iron.[8][9] As of 1906 in the Sunless Skies timeline, she resides in Pan.[6]
  • March was John Cassell, publisher of the Working Man's Friend and The Echo.[10] He was a coffee-seller[11] and self-proclaimed sworn enemy of Mr Wines.[12] However, that iteration of March was killed by the Haunted Doctor, who had been hired to do it by the rest of the Council.[11][13] 
  • April is a master at building explosives, and her work has made her deaf. They say her real name is Emilia Hathersage, and she is one half of a partnership that makes the finest naval weapons in London.[14]
  • May is the Manager of the Royal Bethlehem Hotel.[10]
  • June is a woman who was the original architect of the Dawn Machine.[10]
  • July used to be a cultured society lady and violinist, but she lost her mind to a powerful Fingerking. She trades her memories for dreams of the future.[15]
  • August is the Jovial Contrarian, who knows quite a bit about various revolutionary causes despite not always being involved in them.[16] He has some kind of relationship and/or rivalry with the Affluent Photographer.[17]
  • September is a man who resides in Balmoral, a Scottish holding of London that fell to the Neath with it.[18] To Londoners, however, he is only known by reputation.[19] As a member of the Calendar Council, he is fiercely interested in deciphering the writing patterns of Mr Pages, as he is convinced they hold a hidden meaning to understanding the Masters and their plans.[20]
  • October is a woman who dabbles in dreams and mirrors, and might be a sponsor of Mrs Plenty's House of Mirrors for this very purpose.[21] She was also one of the past winners of the Marvellous; her heart's desire was for her dreams "to come true", and so she got stuck in Parabola but managed to imprison Mr Mirrors in the process.[22][23]
  • November has been missing for quite a while. Her lost cell and comrades have been trying to enact her plan in her stead, and maybe hasten her return.[24]
  • The leader of the Calendar Council is December, although nobody seems to know much about this ambiguously gendered individual. Their true name cannot be spoken by the human mouth, and the pale mask that they wear might be their actual face. Whoever they are, they seem adamant about either destroying or sharing the Mountain of Light's vitality.[25][26] As of 1906 in the Sunless Skies timeline, they reside in Pan.[6][27][28]

The idea of having leaders named after months may have come from G. K. Chesterton's The Man Who Was Thursday, about a bunch of anarchists (or so we are supposed to think) with leaders named after days of the week.

Past Revolutionaries

  • The Rosers were a group of artists and revolutionaries who were responsible for the end of the Fourth City, and took refuge in the hidden city of Arbor
  • The Copper was a group of revolutionaries from the Fourth City who worshipped the God-Eaters.

Related Factions

Some other groups have desires to upend the status quo of the Neath, the world, or the whole of Is. They have some ties to the Revolutionaries but don't share the goals of the Calendar Council or most of the street-level revolutionaries, not appearing preoccupied with the Masters or Night at all.

Other Revolutionaries

  • The Curt Relicker was on the Council until he fell in love with December and was kicked out.[29]
  • Bourdain, a member of the Seven Against Nidah, was formerly on the Council.[30]
  • The Affluent Photographer is one of the Council's main correspondents.[31]
  • The Secular Missionary is a charming lady who has come to the Neath searching for her missing husband. She looks innocent, but is actually well-acquainted with anarchist causes. She has an apparent connection to, or preoccupation with, Joan of Arc. Her ulterior motive is to find the Cave of the Nadir, for use as a source of wealth or power, and potentially to sell the location to the highest bidder.[32] She may not know its location, but does know how to enter it.[33]
  • The Revolutionary Firebrand is a recent arrival in London and the exceptionally handsome husband of the Secular Missionary. He is known for being a bit of a cheapskate. His ulterior motive is to find the Cave of the Nadir, for use as a secret location for plotting the Revolution. He doesn't quite know how to get in, but he knows where it is.[33]
  • The Radical Factotum is tasked by the Council to collect materials for the production of light-extinguishing Unclear Bombs.[34][35][36] He also extracts memories of Parabola.[37]


References

  1. Gunpowder and Zeal: the Revolutionaries, Fallen London
  2. Under Sunless Skies, Sunless Sea ""The Liberation of Night began long ago," the veiled creature pipes. "Tell whoever you choose, or do not. You are the message. Those who must know, will know.""
  3. ...blow up the Bazaar, Fallen London
  4. Invite January to the Board, Fallen London
  5. Season of Revolutions, Fallen London ""The museum must close for a time [...] What is displayed here will continue as long as the light remains. I'm rather proud of that book. [...]" [...] Looking at the book, you see the author's name on the cover: January."
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 Winter's Reside, Sunless Skies
  7. The Cave of the Nadir, Fallen London
  8. February of the Calendar Council, Fallen London
  9. The patronage of February, Fallen London
  10. 10.0 10.1 10.2 The Mysteries Revealed, Again, Failbetter Games
  11. 11.0 11.1 Drink with the Doctor, Fallen London
  12. --Two action refreshes for the price of one!--, Fallen London
  13. Bury the Council's Secrets, Fallen London
  14. Ambition: Bag a Legend! 115 - April's Attention, Fallen London
  15. Lost in Reflections, Fallen London
  16. Help plant an agent in the Ministry for Public Decency, Fallen London
  17. Revolution and Coffee, Fallen London
  18. The Kirk of the Septemberists, Fallen London
  19. Refuse her and speak with the Jovial Contrarian, Fallen London "You've heard of the Calendar Council? […] up to no good. Especially March - not a patch on April or September"
  20. Discern hidden truths, Fallen London
  21. The Shallows, Fallen London
  22. Piece your clues together (1), Fallen London
  23. Ask about her heart's desire, Fallen London
  24. A Little Pandemonium, Fallen London
  25. "...give it to the world.", Fallen London
  26. "..end it, as I swore I would.", Fallen London
  27. A Dining Table in the Conservatory, Sunless Skies
  28. Winter's Reside: Something More Than Revolutionary, Sunless Skies "'December' is not their real name [...] that name was not made to be spoken with tongue and lips and a throat. Their face is long and serene, like a Borzoi hound[...] Is that their mask, or their face? You do not recall them removing it to eat."
  29. Offer your investigative services (25 FATE), Fallen London
  30. The Seven Statues, Sunless Sea
  31. Investigating the Affluent Photographer, Fallen London
  32. "This is why you came to the Neath?", Fallen London
  33. 33.0 33.1 The Missionary and the Firebrand, Fallen London
  34. You know a fellow who wants it, Fallen London
  35. The Radical Factotum will take them off your hands, Fallen London
  36. A fair exchange, Fallen London
  37. Trying to remember, Fallen London