Aeginae

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"These are real stars. They burn above the roof of the Neath, beyond the earth, in the spaces of heaven."

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"The Aeginae: Leviathans that dwell in the belly of the heavens. Usually, they are only glimpsed as sliding shapes – grand as mountain-ranges – in the fogs below. It is said that the suns have an ancient pact with them. That they are watchful. That they eat time."[3]

Aeginae, known colloquially as Dragons, are enormous leviathans that act as mercenaries for the Judgements.

Gargantuan[edit | edit source]

"This is one of the Aeginae. The star-dragons. The behemoth-mercenaries that the suns contract to enforce their laws. Before it, you are only a fleck."[4]

Aeginae are behemoths whose size dwarfs mountains. They travel the lower regions of the High Wilderness shrouded by clouds and mist, and can only be glimpsed by those nearby.[5][6] Given their enormity and power, the presence of an Aeginae alone can cause turbulence,[7] and their roars can "shake the heavens" themselves.[8] Against these creatures, a locomotive is a mere ant.[9]

An eye with many pupils and sclera.
The Burrower Below

Aeginae have hump-backed bodies[10] that are covered in a shell of grey, diamond-tough scales,[11][12] and yellow lidless eyes.[13] They possess massive maws equipped with many sharp teeth,[14][15] which lead to their complex digestive tracts with multiple stomachs.[16][17] Their preferred diet is time,[18] which they have been observed to consume in the form of solidified hours.[19] The progenitor of the Aeginae is the Burrower Below,[2] a continent-sized entity that chews at the "roots" of the sky, revered as one of the three Gods of the High Wilderness.[20] Aeginae make frequent use of the Burrower's pathways that span the heavens; if a traveler has incurred the Burrower's wrath, trips through these "wyrm-holes" can become very dangerous.[21][22]

HIC SVNT DRACONES[edit | edit source]

"The Seventh Letter has long been banned by the Ministry of Public Decency. The last scene - with the Dragons - is not the only reason; but it's probably the biggest. There is a brief hiatus before that scene, to allow squeamish audience members to leave, and to darken the lights."[23]

A star.
A Judgement.

The dragons of the High Wilderness play an important role in the starry kingdoms: they are contracted by the Judgements to act as enforcers for their laws.[24][25] Dragons are known to act as agents for the Judgements to ensure certain mandates are fulfilled,[26] and if one encounters an entity it deems delinquent, it will work to destroy it with extreme prejudice.[27]

According to The Seventh Letter, dragons work in groups of seven, and hold tribunals for captured prisoners. If a defendant is found guilty, the Dragons devour them; not even powerful beings like Messengers or Judgements themselves are spared from this fate. There are numerous crimes the dragons will punish, but there appears to be one they loathe more than any other: "Unlicensed Love."[28]


References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Story description, Sunless Skies "This is one of the Aeginae. The star-dragons."
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Touch, Sunless Skies "[...] the Burrower Below: [...] general-progenitrix of the Devourers of Days, who are called the Aeginae."
  3. ↑ The Aeginae, Sunless Skies
  4. ↑ Story description, Sunless Skies
  5. ↑ The Aeginae, Sunless Skies "The Aeginae: Leviathans that dwell in the belly of the heavens. [...] only glimpsed as sliding shapes – grand as mountain-ranges – in the fogs below."
  6. ↑ Try to escape its notice, Sunless Skies "The behemoth sinks back into the mists, returning to its lair in the deeps of the sky."
  7. ↑ Try to escape its notice, Sunless Skies "[...] the Aeginae's wake casts the sky into a tumult."
  8. ↑ TransitC, Sunless Skies "[...] some celestial beast thunders amidst the roots of the sky. Its lamentable bellows shake the heavens."
  9. ↑ Story description, Sunless Skies "This is one of the Aeginae. [...] Before it, you are only a fleck."
  10. ↑ Story description, Sunless Skies "The great hump of its back looms over you like a hillside."
  11. ↑ Recover Navaratine Gemstones, Sunless Skies "Through a rift in the Saint's shell, you can make out the iridescent glitter of gemstone."
  12. ↑ Recover scales to mend your hull, Sunless Skies "[...] the Saint's dead flesh. [...] you carry away seven scales, the colour of slate and the consistency of diamond."
  13. ↑ Story description, Sunless Skies "It is studded with lidless, yellow eyes."
  14. ↑ Sacrifice Unseasoned Hours to distract it, Sunless Skies "A maw opens, the size of an oceanic abyss. Its teeth are like suspended mountain-peaks."
  15. ↑ The Ruptured Throat, Sunless Sea "Razor-sharp teeth the size of buildings jut from fatty, garnet-red flesh."
  16. ↑ Story description, Sunless Sea "You swim through a foul labyrinth of passages and intestines. Your eyes sting [...] The water grows ever more bilious."
  17. ↑ Recover Unseasoned Hours, Sunless Skies "The hours are located deep in one of its stomachs; half digested but intact. Your skysuit drips with bilious ichor."
  18. ↑ Depart (10 FATE), Fallen London "Out there in the night: [...] the dragons which consume time [...]"
  19. ↑ Sacrifice Unseasoned Hours to distract it, Sunless Skies "Sacrifice Unseasoned Hours to distract it [...] It is said that they eat time. [...] The behemoth's course shifts, fractionally. A maw opens, the size of an oceanic abyss. Its teeth are like suspended mountain-peaks. The barrels pass between them, tiny as krill."
  20. ↑ Dream (21), Sunless Skies "A beast. [...] Almost a dragon; [...] almost a continent. It gnaws on the roots of heaven, [...]"
  21. ↑ Touch, Sunless Skies "[...] the Burrower Below: [...] She tunnelled the paths across the sky! Every transit is a trespass!"
  22. ↑ Variable Interaction description, Sunless Skies "[...] the journey is [...] turbulent [...] Your locomotive heaves and tosses in the wake of some passing leviathan. The relays are not the only powers to make use of these ancient sky-tunnels."
  23. ↑ Watch the play for a little while, Fallen London
  24. ↑ The Aeginae, Sunless Skies "It is said that the suns have an ancient pact with them."
  25. ↑ Story description, Sunless Skies "The behemoth-mercenaries that the suns contract to enforce their laws."
  26. ↑ Order Ovate, Glory, Fallen London "DRAGON: Yes. I remain the servant of your master. As do you. He awaits you. [...] DRAGON: [...] You have a little longer. Should this place fail, two remain."
  27. ↑ Look into the Saint's Eye, Sunless Skies "A flower that seeks to become a hive. Amalgamy. The seventh letter. The Saint begins its tearing work."
  28. ↑ Watch the play for a little while 4, Fallen London "The Dragons [...] are seven in number. [...] The [...] Dragon recites the crimes of the Sun and the Messenger - [...] Conspiracy in Darkness, and Unlicensed Love. [...] When the Dragon says the words 'Unlicensed Love', its fellows [...] rage [...] the Dragons [...] lunge forwards, to feed on their prisoners."
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