"There are some things we were not meant to know, they say. But you wouldn't be down here if you took that seriously."
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"Visitors to the Mourn avoid the belligerent birds assiduously. It is ancient zailor superstition that Blue Prophets shriek the names of those doomed to die, and so even grizzled old salts make a great show of staying out of earshot. But native Corsairs exhibit an entirely different flavour of superstition. They treat the Prophets with what, for outlaws, counts as reverence, allowing them to roost where they may, and touching finger to forelock whenever passing close by."[1]
Blue Prophets are blue birds that menace the Unterzee and the heights of Gaider's Mourn.
"Angry gyres of Blue Prophets roam the zee, terrorising zailors and shrieking a thousand unknown names. One such cloud of sapphire feathers and angry beaks is on a collision course for you."[2]
Blue Prophets resemble large parrots or macaws[3] with feathers the color of sapphires or the sky.[4][5] They are very intelligent,[6] and can communicate emotions towards humans.[7] They are social and collaborative creatures,[8] and can be found in flocks all across the Unterzee.[9] These flocks typically move in gyres and are chokingly large and dense,[9][10] and due to the Prophets' irritable demeanor,[11] are dangerous enough to threaten passing ships.[12] Blue Prophets build cliffside nests out of scraps of cloth and wood for their deep blue eggs; despite the remote and inaccessible choice of location, their nests are still threatened by predators.[13] Drownies may use the eggs in a ritual to temporarily restore an illusion of their human forms,[14][15] but scaling the cliffs may be difficult.[16] It is implied, but not confirmed, that Blue Prophets originate from the Elder Continent.[3][17]
Ka-kaw!
According to zailor lore, Blue Prophets call out the names of those about to die.[18] These names may sometimes be hard to make out,[19] but may also be spoken with perfect clarity.[20] Blue Prophets have a bloodthirsty nature: they loathe the idea of coming back from death,[21] and impatiently await the demise of their targets.[22] It is unclear whether these birds truly have a grasp on fate; their predictions have sometimes been right on target,[20] but they have also been observed calling out the names of those they attack, with varying results.[23]
"You've spent some time in London, I can see, so ye know that death in the Neath can be... er, impermanent. But the zee gives us life, and it is due death in return. It's a wossname. You know. Sacred cycle. If nothin' properly dies, eventually we'll run out o' life, right? So some of us corsairs, when we 'ear the Prophets call a name, we goes out to zee and makes sure that they sink."[24]
"It wheels overhead, an azure gyre circling your ship. If you listen closely, some of its nerve-jangling skirls might be words; might be names. The names, according to ancient and sacred superstition, of those who are doomed to die. Your compact with your Blue Prophet obliges you to act upon its cries. What names can you pick out from this awful storm?"[25]
Blue Prophets play a key role in the pirate haven of Gaider's Mourn. The Mourn is at the center of the Unterzee,[26] and an enormous flock of Prophets wheels around the stalagmite counter to the Zee's rotating currents.[27] While most zailors fear Blue Prophets, the corsairs treat them with utmost respect.[28] This is because the two groups share many pacts: the birds identify particular ships by name,[29] and the corsairs hunt down and plunder them.[30][31] The corsairs also value the Prophets' droppings, as their guano can be refined to produce deadly gunpowder.[32] Blue Prophets also play a role in the corsairs' funerals: after a wrecked pirate ship is raised with the Mourn's winches[33] and the captain buried at Zee,[34] the birds descend upon the wreck in a brief ceremony before flying off to conclude the rite.[35]
The Guano-Splattered Hierophant
Communing with the Blue Prophets is considered a high honor at Gaider's Mourn. First, an initiate must climb the deadly slopes and meet the Guano-Splattered Hierophant,[36] an urchin with a special connection to the birds.[37] According to her, the superstitions about Blue Prophets are all true,[38] and she preaches that corsairs must enforce the cycle of life and death on the birds' behalf.[39][40] She also believes the birds are the true authority of Gaider's Mourn, and often defers to them.[41]
To win the Prophets' favor, a captain must possess strength in the form of strong weaponry.[42] Once approved, a lone Prophet will break from the circling flock above and perch on the corsair's shoulder,[43] and the Hierophant will award them with a flag of Prophet-blue.[44] The somewhat-tame[45] bird will then accompany the corsair on their travels,[46] crying out the names of ships so the Unterzee may receive its due.[47]
Historical, Cultural, and Scientific Inspirations[edit]
Blue Prophets superficially resemble hyacinth macaws, although their in-game flock sprite in Sunless Sea looks more like a red-and-green macaw - likely for the sake of gameplay clarity and visibility against the blue of the Unterzee. While hyacinth macaws are social,[48] and intelligent enough to both learn to speak human languages and use tools,[49] the flock behavior of Blue Prophets is more comparable to the dizzying flight formations of starlings.
The imagery of Blue Prophets accompanying corsairs was likely inspired by the popular trope of pirates having a parrot perched upon their shoulders. This trope, along with several other pirate tropes, was popularized by the character Long John Silver from the book Treasure Island.[50]
In addition to this imagery, however, it is indicated that Blue Prophets are used in augury. This practice dates back to the ancient Greeks and Romans, and involves observing birds in search of omens of the future. The process of reading the signs was called "taking the auspices," which is referenced in Fallen London.[51] The success title of the cited storylet is "Oscines and alites," which refers to the two types of birds involved in a particular type of avian augury; oscines gave auspices through their singing, while alites were observed in flight, with the augur taking note of the appearance and direction of their flight.
The use of Blue Prophet droppings to make gunpowder parallels the real-life uses of guano. In the 19th century, guano was prized for its uses as a fertilizer, and was also used in gunpowder. After the discovery of the Haber-Bosch process in 1910, demand for guano largely declined.[52]
↑Convince your Blue Prophet to join the plot, Fallen London"[...] after much coaxing, you convince your Blue Prophet to subject itself to the scheme. [...] tolerate [...] its role as mock-tribute (mock-tribute only). And if this scheme goes awry – well, it won't. Because, wheeling high overhead, there is an azure flock whose cries could send every corsair in Gaider's Mourn after your ship."
↑Take auspices, Fallen London"The birds dive-bomb your ship, raking talon across flesh and metal. Hats are stolen; faces are pecked."
↑We Absolutely Meant to Go to Zee, Fallen London"Just above the bench there is a hole in the rock. Beneath it on the seat back, are scraps of cloth, splinters of wood. Indications of a parrot nest? [...] An egg – the rest are gone, hatched or stolen by a cunning predator. [...] the egg is a deep, inky blue; a Blue Prophet egg."
↑We Absolutely Meant to Go to Zee, Fallen London"When the pearl is sufficiently ground, the Drownie takes out the blue egg. She cracks it so that the yolk spills into the powder, [...] she raises the bowl and downs the contents [...] The buzzing hum continues, [...] the melody is clear, upbeat, recurrent. As the song fades, [...] She is the same, yet altered. Her appearance as Drownie was the salt-drenched shadow of what she is now."
↑We Absolutely Meant to Go to Zee, Fallen London""A drowning pearl, an egg from a Blue Prophet, and some way to grind up the pearl. Some blue prophets nest here. Up high. I could never reach one.""
↑Flint, Fallen London"[...] That thing like a big glass pineapple! Is that Caution? Let's get off this road. I hear Blue Prophets.""
↑Record their cries, Sunless Sea"The Prophets speak the names of those about to die. In truth, most of the sounds they make are more squawk than word, but perhaps you can glean something [...] if you listen carefully."
↑ 20.020.1Observe the Blue Prophets, Fallen London"One [...] shrieks a handful of scratchy syllables. A Chelonite zailor starts in recognition, looking around for whoever called to him, and loses his footing on the slick floorboards. His scream is audible [...] The Prophet fluffs its feathers, smug."
↑Indulge her – ask what she means, Fallen London"[...] ye know that death in the Neath can be... er, impermanent." There's a scatter of angry bird-calls as Blue Prophets caw their disapproval [...]"
↑Use your disorientation to your advantage, Fallen London"On the horizon – the sulphurous lights of another ship. Your Blue Prophet lands on your shoulder and squawks in appreciation. [...] Your Blue Prophet pecks your ear in frustration. [...] your quarry is not such a bad zailor as you thought."
↑Take auspices, Fallen London"The birds dive-bomb your ship, [...] In the furious cawing, you think you hear names you recognise; your crew, your acquaintances in London. Your own."
↑Observe the Blue Prophets, Fallen London"[...] Blue Prophets shriek the names of those doomed to die, and so even grizzled old salts make a great show of staying out of earshot. But native Corsairs [...] treat the Prophets with what, for outlaws, counts as reverence [...]"
↑Hear the name of (Admiralty vessel), Fallen London"Your Prophet lands on your shoulder [...] Its cries are quieter now, and less varied. [Admiralty vessel] ka-kaw, it creaks like an antique wardrobe. Ka-kaw!"
↑Indulge her – ask what she means, Fallen London"So some of us corsairs, when we 'ear the Prophets call a name, we goes out to zee and makes sure that they sink. [...] And if they 'appens to 'ave any treasure when we sink 'em, well. Payment for a job well done, I say."
↑The Grave-Winches, Fallen London"As the final fragment of bone is loosed from the corsair's hand, the flock overhead [...] comes to rest upon the wreckage. The whole warped mess becomes a [...] befeathered crowd [...] Their scratched cries join the corsairs' own – a joyous, grieving ululation. [...] And then all the birds take flight as one, [...] With their departure, whatever ritual was occurring here is over; [...]"
↑Approach the corsair-officiant, Fallen London"Maybe you've got what it takes. To be something more than a pirate." [...] There is more here than drinking and fighting, stranger. If you want to know what that is – if you're ready – then climb.""
↑Indulge her – ask what she means, Fallen London""You've 'eard the superstitions, I bet. About how Blue Prophets shriek the names of those doomed to die?" She is suddenly showmanlike. "Well, it's true.""
↑Indulge her – ask what she means, Fallen London"Sacred cycle. If nothin' properly dies, eventually we'll run out o' life, right? So some of us corsairs, when we 'ear the Prophets call a name, we goes out to zee and makes sure that they sink."
↑The Guano-Splattered Hierophant, Fallen London"And we tend to the Prophets. We listen to their call, and we makes their futures 'appen." [...] "You could be one of us, if you wanted. You could be a hand of prophecy."
↑Inquire about her identity, Fallen London""We's got 'undreds of pirate kings and captains. None of 'em are in charge [...] "If yer a true Corsair of the Mourn then you holds the birds in high regard. Now, I ain't in charge of nuffink," [...] "but I does listen to the birds better'n anyone else. And the birds, they is in charge.""
↑Receive your corsair's colours, Fallen London"The little urchin [...] with great ceremony, produces a bolt of startlingly-blue cloth. [...] the colour of the feathers on your Prophet's wing. It is, of course, a flag."
↑Indulge her – ask what she means, Fallen London"So some of us corsairs, when we 'ear the Prophets call a name, we goes out to zee and makes sure that they sink. And the Unterzee takes its due."
↑Guano, Wikipedia"Guano is the accumulated excrement of seabirds or bats. Guano is a highly effective fertilizer due to the high content of nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium, all key nutrients essential for plant growth. Guano was also, to a lesser extent, sought for the production of gunpowder and other explosive materials. The 19th-century seabird guano trade played a pivotal role in the development of modern input-intensive farming. The demand for guano spurred the human colonization of remote bird islands in many parts of the world. [...] Demand for guano rapidly declined after 1910 with the development of the Haber–Bosch process for extracting nitrogen from the atmosphere."
