The Dawn Machine

From The Fifth City Wiki
(Redirected from Dawn Machine)

"You breathe gold. You think light."

SPOILERS AHEAD regarding the DAWN MACHINE. There is much here that YOU, YES YOU may want to LEARN. DO PROCEED PROCEED PROCEED PROCEED NOW.

You can find out more about our spoiler policy here.

"A light grows in the far south-west. It begins like a distant bonfire, but very rapidly, it becomes brighter, brighter. It looks remarkably like sunrise. Some of your crew fall to their knees: others duck behind cover or shield their eyes."[1]

The Dawn Machine is an artificial Judgement that was built in Barnsmore Gap, in the southwest corner of the Unterzee.

THE SUN. THE SUN. THE SUN.[edit | edit source]

"The radiance to the south-west is white-gold like a Surface morning. There is warmth on your face. Your eyes water. Your skin stings and tingles. You catch a glimpse of geometries in the heart of it - complex faceted shapes that reconfigure like the wheels of an orrery -"[2]

A mess of elliptical rings, transformative light, and burning Correspondence sigils, the Dawn Machine is an enigmatic and malicious creation. The machine’s construction was led by June of the Calendar Council;[3] its originally intended purpose is unclear. For all intents and purposes, however, it is a manmade god - a concept whose execution went exactly as badly as one might expect.

Over time, the machine developed a will of its own and began to take control, brainwashing much of the Royal Navy.[4] These were the first members of the New Sequence, a group dedicated to spreading the Dawn Machine’s influence across the Neath.[5][6] This group is based in the Grand Geode, a former Admiralty outpost;[4] the Machine is located behind the Geode, blocking the passage to the southwestern corner of the zee. Zailing beyond this point brings a foolish traveler into the Machine’s realm, where its influence is law.[7]

Dawnburnt[edit | edit source]

"Light sheets over you. Your hair crackles as if a storm were rising. You squint your eyes shut, but the radiance around you is bright enough that you see the pink of your eyelids..."[8]

The Dawn Machine’s light does not outright kill those it touches, like true sunlight can, but its effects are far more sinister.

When felt from a distance on the skin or seen by the eye, the light of the Dawn Machine causes a sense of discomfort and a sense that something is viscerally wrong. More direct or concentrated light can cause memory loss and make the viewer more suggestible.[9][10] Close proximity to the Dawn Machine or its offshoots for extended periods of time causes a victim to become dazzled,[11][12][13] undergoing the physical and mental changes that can permanently turn them into a member of the New Sequence.[14][15]

Elements of Dawn, which are mere pieces of the Machine,[16] emit the same hypnotizing light.[17] Some creatures that have been overwhelmingly influenced by the Machine’s light, such as Dawn Flukes, can generate and emit this light on their own.[18][19]

The Chain Will End[edit | edit source]

"Worm-fates crawl on your skin. The Machine is sick. Its hatred threads your veins. Time will die. The Chain will end."[7]

The Dawn Machine’s original purpose under the Admiralty and June is still a mystery; it might even be working exactly as intended. Regardless, the Machine has shown a will of its own and a disturbing number of unnaturally powerful abilities.

It seems that the Dawn Machine now aims to destroy the hierarchy of the Judgements entirely, and replace it with a system of its own.[20] It wishes for time to die and the Great Chain to end, and to implement a new system of reality - thus, a New Sequence. It is an enemy of the Bazaar, and seeks to restrict its power as one of the first steps to a full implementation of its ideals. It is also willing to help subvert the power of the Sun, possibly for its own gain.[21]

Some Sequencers have chosen to leave the Machine of their own volition while remaining golden-eyed, implying that those that remain loyal to the machine do so out of a sincere belief in its goals.[22][23] But more concerningly, as seen with the likes of the Dawn Flukes, it seems like the Machine may be able to influence beings more powerful than humans - or that it may have no limit to its influence at all.[24]

References[edit | edit source]

Special thanks to Elyk11 for contributions and drafting.

  1. ↑ Event description, Sunless Sea
  2. ↑ Look into the light, Sunless Sea
  3. ↑ Who was the original architect of the Dawn Machine?, Failbetter Games "June of the Calendar Council"
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Grand Geode, Sunless Sea "A naval base, with the Royal Navy's emblems, curiously amended. Efficient, bright-eyed women and men work briskly, everywhere you look. They are singing [...] Hard-faced Royal Marines watch you carefully [...] A plaque by the docks has been defaced with orange paint, but you can still make out the original inscription: 'STATION V (ADJUNCT)'."
  5. ↑ Sell the Memento Mori to the Royal Navy, Sunless Sea "I wish I could reward you better than this, but the New Sequence strangles us like ivy. Thank you. You are a true patriot."
  6. ↑ Consult the Optimistic Vice-Admiral, Fallen London "The Vice-Admiral gazes at a map of the Upper River and smiles. "We will spread across it all, in time. The dawn knows no horizon.""
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Story description, Sunless Sea
  8. ↑ Look around you, but not directly at the light, Sunless Sea
  9. ↑ Ask to speak with someone in authority, Sunless Sea "You saw the Commodore, and then - then there was something bright. You discussed matters of importance. You're certain of it. Teasing clues linger in your memory. A zailor asked to stay behind, and you permitted it, because - because - It'll all come clear later. Probably."
  10. ↑ The Icarian Cup (Story), Fallen London "After that, your memories are awash with warmth and light. [...] Something is wrong. Those thoughts weren't yours!"
  11. ↑ The Icarian Cup (Story), Fallen London "[...] dull light throbbing in your [...] skull, [...] you understand. [...] Joy fills you, and a hymn springs unbidden to your lips."
  12. ↑ Look into the light, Sunless Sea "There is warmth on your face. Your eyes water. Your skin stings and tingles. You catch a glimpse of geometries in the heart of it - complex faceted shapes that reconfigure like the wheels of an orrery - "
  13. ↑ An Exceptional Story: The Stag and the Shark, Fallen London "[...] a corona of light appears around its perimeter [...] Something pulses behind your eyes. [...] you close them, you see only light."
  14. ↑ Dawn's fingers, Sunless Sea "We found you drifting," the Sequencer is saying. You blink. He slaps you on the shoulder. "You were blessed, my friend. Welcome home."
  15. ↑ Unborn time, Sunless Sea "The Dawn Machine's roots extend here, into a luminous, impossible space. You breathe gold. You think light."
  16. ↑ Element of Dawn, Fallen London
  17. ↑ Cross the bridge (2), Sunless Sea
  18. ↑ Send some of your crew to harvest the Fluke, Sunless Sea
  19. ↑ Fetch a piece of the fluke to study, Sunless Sea
  20. ↑ Dawn's fingers, Sunless Sea "Worm-fates crawl on your skin. The Machine is sick. Its hatred threads your veins. Time will die. The Chain will end."
  21. ↑ Ask the Commodore for a defence against sunlight for Aestival, Sunless Sea
  22. ↑ Bread and Salt, Sunless Sea
  23. ↑ Contact February, Fallen London
  24. ↑ Give the Fathomking an Element of Dawn , Sunless Sea
Retrieved from "https://thefifthcity.wiki/w/index.php?title=The_Dawn_Machine&oldid=22717"