Cardinal's Honey

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"His family did not die, though they did give themselves over to the indulgences widely held to have ruined them. Bored of their dissipated pleasures, they sought something more potent still. They found the Cardinal's Honey, a midnight strain of the Red Honey. One by one they imbibed the black honey, and one by one they vanished. As though they had never been."[2]

Cardinal's Honey, also called black honey, is a deadly poison and a byproduct of the production of Gaoler's Honey.

Don't Sip This[edit | edit source]

"This poet tells you of a different honey, jet black in hue: the Cardinal's Honey. Those who take it do not die. They cease to be. They never were."[3]

Cardinal's honey is a deadly variant of Gaoler's Honey, which is primarily produced on the Isle of Cats.[1][4] Like ordinary honey, it tastes sweet and has a sticky texture,[5][6] but its color is pitch-black and it smells musty and rotten.[7] Black honey is one of the deadliest poisons in the Neath, trumping even the venom of the Cantigaster:[8] even a droplet of a droplet can kill a human,[9] and those who consume this substance vanish into thin air never to return.[10] It is also effective against non-human creatures,[11] including powerful beings like Curators.[10]

A spoonful of red honey.
Gaoler's Honey

Black honey is a byproduct of red honey production. Sufficiently large Cage-Gardens produce jarfuls of the stuff, which are promptly hidden away.[12] Some especially depraved hedonists consume black honey for amusement, with predictable results;[13] other individuals distribute modified, non-lethal droplets of black honey to those consumed by vengeance or despair.[14][15] Black honey has an antidote, a clear liquid that must be consumed immediately before or after imbibing the honey.[16][17] Those exposed to the antidote are able to return from oblivion alive, though they may be traumatized or severely injured after their trip.[18][19]

Somnii Mortuorum[edit | edit source]

"You are not alone in the earth; worms squirm through the soil. You dig past them; just the slight, cold touch of their flesh against your skin before they are gone. There are voices too. "No," you hear, a whisper nearby in the earth, "Stop." Somewhere closer by, "Please. Please." These are the last words of the dead, crawling through the buried warrens."

"You push deeper; your nails bleeding; your mouth clogged with soil and worms. You cannot breathe – you have not been able to for a long time. You only suffocate, eternally. You push on."[20]

A skull.
Mortis

Imbibers of black honey are sent to the dreams of the dead,[21] where they wake[22] under miles and miles of earth infested with grave-worms.[23][24] Travel is only possible via digging, and small air pockets dug by other explorers provide the only respite from the tedium and suffocation.[25][26] Voices also echo throughout the warrens: the last words and pleas of the dead.[27]

This realm is inhabited by wraiths who have a zombie-like pallor, and do not take kindly to their dreams being invaded.[28] Some rooms contain the former possessions of the dead, such as maid caps, aprons, knives, and money, as well as paraphernalia from Cage-Gardens.[29][30] Apparently, the phantoms that linger here died after being harvested for red honey,[31] and some of their memories heard here end with encagement or the droning of bees.[29][30] It is possible for a consumer of black honey to encounter individuals they recognize: these may be deceased loved ones,[32] or vengeful spirits.[33]

Historical and Cultural Inspirations[edit | edit source]

Cardinal's Honey is associated with imagery of the Furies,[34][35] also called the Erinyes, a trio of chthonic goddesses of vengeance in Ancient Greek mythology.

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Make a discreet inquiry into the upper strata, Fallen London "They found the Cardinal's Honey, a midnight strain of the Red Honey. [...] they imbibed the black honey [...]"
  2. ↑ Make a discreet inquiry into the upper strata, Fallen London
  3. ↑ Make inquries into the demimonde, Fallen London
  4. ↑ Conduct your own researches, Fallen London "It is a corrupted form of the Red Honey."
  5. ↑ Test an iota of the Cardinal's Honey on yourself, Fallen London "A wave of nausea [...] even as your tongue delights in the rich, [...] sweetness of the honey."
  6. ↑ Remain concealed, and savour the moment, Fallen London "Is it surprised at the new stickiness of the wine?"
  7. ↑ Test an iota of the Cardinal's Honey on yourself, Fallen London "You decant a single drop of the tar-like honey into a cup [...] It still smells sweetly of rot and sugar and damp wool."
  8. ↑ Conduct your own researches, Fallen London "[...] you come across the name of a famed poisoner. [...] his records reference several poisons of unnatural potency. Cantigaster's venom has been proven to be ineffective against the Masters [...] There is another entry however: Cardinal's Honey."
  9. ↑ Test an iota of the Cardinal's Honey on yourself, Fallen London "You decant a single drop of the tar-like honey into a cup, and dilute it [...] You take a spoonful of the watered-down concoction, tip it into another cup, dilute that, and pour the rest away. [...] you down the contents of the teacup. A wave of nausea [...] Your fingers grasp for the antidote, [...] before the dreams carry you away [...]"
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Remain concealed, and savour the moment, Fallen London "You watch, [...] as the honey takes it. One moment Cups is there, retching, the next it is gone – plucked into the dreams of the dead."
  11. ↑ Ambition: Nemesis – Midnight's Honey, Fallen London "Earlier you tested both on a family of mice [...] You watched as they winked out of existence [...]"
  12. ↑ Wait in the shadows, Fallen London "A cart and driver enters the garden. [...] you smell the sickly sweet aroma of Red Honey. [...] a different set of jars on the cart. A midnight hue rests within them. [...] the driver leaves, carrying a crate of the jars. He [...] opens a [...] door [...] a set of stairs disappears into darkness. The driver begins to descend."
  13. ↑ Make a discreet inquiry into the upper strata, Fallen London "His family did not die, though they did give themselves over to the indulgences widely held to have ruined them. Bored of their dissipated pleasures, they sought something more potent [...] They found the Cardinal's Honey, [...] they imbibed the black honey, and one by one they vanished."
  14. ↑ Make discreet inquiries, Fallen London "[...] He chooses who needs it most. Those who've lost hope, who need reminding of their purpose. Or those for whom oblivion would be a blessing.""
  15. ↑ Convince the Procurer of your character, Fallen London "[...] he knows where one can acquire the real Cardinal's Honey. He makes clear that despite the black film [...] what he has given them tonight is a pale facsimile of the real thing. These people's lives are worth more than their dreams of vengeance."
  16. ↑ Test an iota of the Cardinal's Honey on yourself, Fallen London "Your fingers grasp for the antidote, a clear, Lethean liquid [...]"
  17. ↑ Convince the Procurer of your character, Fallen London "[...] he assures you is an antidote to the Cardinal's Honey. It should be drunk immediately after imbibing, or as near to as you can."
  18. ↑ Ambition: Nemesis – Midnight's Honey, Fallen London "Along with the Honey, you also possess its antidote [...] Earlier you tested both on a family of mice [...] You watched as they winked out of existence, [...] Those who were given the antidote returned, trembling but alive [...] their whiskers soon brittled and fell off."
  19. ↑ Accept Mr Cups' bargain; spare its life, Fallen London "The dreams lose their hold [...] its flesh remains ruined: gored with scars, lurid with bruises from the throttling fingers of the dead, its left half just a worm-riddled corpse of itself."
  20. ↑ Dig up, Fallen London
  21. ↑ Gather your thoughts, Fallen London "This midnight honey sends its victims into the dreams of the dead."
  22. ↑ Ambition Nemesis %E2%80%93 The Small Place, Fallen London "You are somewhere very dark. [...] Someone has put you inside a long wooden box. It is very dark. The air is thin. You must get out."
  23. ↑ Try and escape, Fallen London "Black earth, [...] pours through the gap. You hear the pitter-patter of dirt on wood like the fall of rain. It begins to smother you."
  24. ↑ Dig up, Fallen London "You are not alone in the earth; worms squirm through the soil. You dig past them; just the slight, cold touch of their flesh against your skin before they are gone."
  25. ↑ Ambition Nemesis %E2%80%93 Lost Warrens, Fallen London "You emerge, gasping, in a pocket in the earth. It is only a few feet wide and less than four feet tall. [...] There are clawed furrows in the soil; this space was made by others, crawling through the earth. The pocket is small. You will need to dig your way further out."
  26. ↑ Dig up, Fallen London "You push deeper; your nails bleeding; your mouth clogged with soil and worms. You cannot breathe – you have not been able to for a long time. You only suffocate, eternally. You push on."
  27. ↑ Dig up, Fallen London "There are voices too. "No," you hear, a whisper nearby in the earth, "Stop." Somewhere closer by, "Please. Please." These are the last words of the dead, crawling through the buried warrens."
  28. ↑ Ambition Nemesis %E2%80%93 A Quiet Place, Fallen London "It is a person: shivering, wasted, bleak. Brittle as twigs. Their eyes are dull behind straggles of hair. Their skin is cold. They have no breath. This is one of the dead. "Why have you come to our dreams?" they ask, and a leaden anger begins to gather in their eyes. "They are all that is left to us!""
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 Dig to the left, Fallen London "You see a cage; iron mangled and drops of red honey upon its bars. [...] a maid's cap, an apron [...] over the sound of sobbing, you can make out a few words. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to look. I won't tell anyone—""
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 Dig to the right, Fallen London "There is a pair of discarded manacles, rusted with blood and red honey. [...] There is a knife, [...] A bag full of echoes lies beside it. Somewhere close by you can hear a voice, high and distraught. "My payment – I want what was promised. I did what you said—" The rest is cut off by the sudden low drone of bees."
  31. ↑ Gather your thoughts, Fallen London "This midnight honey sends its victims into the dreams of the dead. There, [...] those who died after being harvested for honey linger."
  32. ↑ Make discreet inquiries, Fallen London "An aristocratic balladeer sat alone [...] A dark liquid drips from his lips, [...] He murmurs something about a woman named 'Christobel', he's sorry he failed; he promises to do better next time."
  33. ↑ Refuse the offer, and let Mr Cups die, Fallen London "The honey takes Cups. Unseen hands drag the Master into the dreams of the dead, where vengeful spirits wait, cold knives in cold hands."
  34. ↑ Test an iota of the Cardinal's Honey on yourself, Fallen London "Allecto, Megarea, Tisiphone"
  35. ↑ Search the ossuary, Fallen London "Eventually, you find an urn in an alcove, the ground around it littered with empty jars. It is adorned with three women in faux-Grecian dress."
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