Editing Death

{{Character|title1 = The Boatman|image1 = death.png|caption1 = A slow boat passing a dark beach on a silent river. Art from FL.|image2 = boatman_promo.png|caption2 = The Boatman|name = The Boatman|location = The Dark River|allegiance = Independent|music = [https://failbettergames.bandcamp.com/track/crowds-of-spite Crowds of Spite]|relationships=[[December]] (sibling, possibly)}}

Thanks to the light and vitality of [[Stone]], death is not always permanent in the Neath. [[London]]ers tend to recover unless they have been literally dismembered, while those who die far out in the [[Unterzee]] often aren't so lucky.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/Adam%27s_Way#Adam.27s_Way|Go ashore with the Adventuress|Sunless Sea|}}

<blockquote>''"'Enjoy it while it lasts,' he growls. 'You're all of you mine in the end.'"''<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/A_friendly_greeting|A friendly greeting|Fallen London|}}</ref></blockquote>

'''The Boatman''' is the [[Neath]]'s Grim Reaper; it is his job to ferry the spirits of the dead across the river to the far shore. The Boatman appears to the dead as a skeletal figure, always wearing a brimmed top hat and possessing a softly glowing lantern.<ref name = "passing on">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Shallows|The Shallows|Fallen London|}} ''"That skull looks directly at you. Those fingerbones beckon you forwards. Into your left hand, he places his lantern [...] Into your right hand, he places his oar [...] he lifts the hat from his head and places it on yours."''</ref> He has a special fondness for chess and dice,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Dice_with_the_Boatman|Dice with the Boatman|Fallen London|}}</ref> and winning against him may grant a spirit a little more time in the lands of the living.<ref name = "a boat trip"/> He also seems to like weasels and bats.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Offer_the_Boatman_a_sacrifice|Offer the Boatman a sacrifice|Fallen London|}}</ref>

The Boatman has hinted that he may answer to a higher power, possibly even the [[Judgements]] themselves.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Your_move...|Your move...|Fallen London|}}''"He enumerates the souls that have passed down this river [...] into final dissolution. [...] "Each time, the extinction of a star that might have been [...] They would have been luckier if Parabola had rotted their lights. I am one tip of one finger. Everything is owed...""''</ref> However, he has also stated that he "failed" these powers in some way, forcing him into exile to fulfill his duty as best he can under the circumstances of the Neath.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Season_Conclusions_(Guide)#The_Season_of_Family_Ties|The Season of Family Ties|Fallen London|}} ''""I disappointed them. I failed in my service, and this is my exile." He surveys his boat and its passengers. "Now, I fulfil my duty as well as the Neath permits. But it will never be enough." He grins – but then he always grins."''</ref>

The job of the Boatman seems to be a bequeathed one to an extent, as the current Boatman is capable of passing on his position to those who seek it.<ref name = "passing on"/> Taking up the Boatman's oars gives the recipient a uniformly skeletal appearance,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Shallows|The Shallows|Fallen London|}} ''"You have taken on the mantle of the Boatman. To the dead, you will appear skeletal, sinister; the embodiment of Death."''</ref> though those who have died several times are sometimes capable of telling the Boatmen apart.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Shallows|The Shallows|Fallen London|}} ''"You're not the real Boatman," he says."''</ref> The Boatman is actually capable of looking into the memories of the dying, which can be useful for gathering intelligence,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Shallows|The Shallows|Fallen London|}} ''"When you concentrate, you share the images he sees. [...] Is this some power the Boatman holds?"''</ref> and he is held in his boat by a mysterious force: there must always be a Boatman, to prevent the dead from piling up on the near shore.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Shallows|The Shallows|Fallen London|}} ''"You can't seem to leave the boat and walk towards the realms of the living. What is this force that holds you? "There has to be a Boatman," the previous Boatman says. "Otherwise, the dead would simply build up here, on the border.""''</ref>

<blockquote>''"Placid black water. Barren trees. A boat filled with pale and shivering passengers. That must be the place of the dead, over there on the far bank. Oh good."''<ref name = "a boat trip">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Category:A_boat_trip|Category:A boat trip|Fallen London|}}</ref></blockquote>

 

<blockquote>''"Where was it you left your body, now? In the street? At home in bed? How is the old thing getting on?"''<ref name = "rem">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Remember_where_you_fell|Remember where you fell|Fallen London|}}</ref></blockquote>

The [[Constables]] have agents that die and return regularly to ensure that certain personages stay dead permanently. Such a task is extremely mentally taxing, for obvious reasons.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Where_the_Dead_Go|Where the Dead Go|Fallen London|}}

<blockquote>''"The ground erupts. Grey, wizened figures scrabble from walls of meat, clawing at one another, fingers locked in bone and socket, dragging at your wrists and ankles, tangling hair and tendons. With cracked tongues they beg for transport, promising grisly favours for one day's respite."''<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Shallows|The Shallows|Fallen London|}}</ref></blockquote>The '''Far Shore''', also called the '''Far Country''', is where the permanently dead linger: a purgatory of lost, tormented souls, desperate for a second chance.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Season_Conclusions_(Guide)#The_Season_of_Family_Ties|The Season of Family Ties|Fallen London|}}''"There is a tumult of screamed pleas. "-do anything! Take me back!" "I'll go back to the Orphanage – I'll be good..." "Tell the devils I'll row! Send their Trireme! I'll row!""''</ref> The dead are packed together like sardines, only split by the occasional jagged ancient ruin.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Season_Conclusions_(Guide)#The_Season_of_Family_Ties|The Season of Family Ties|Fallen London|}}''"From here, you can make out the shore. Grey figures squeeze close to one another, packed like preserved meat, flesh against flesh. Spindly ruins punctuate the sea of bodies. The stone columns are uneven and pock-marked, harrowed by time."''</ref> The most determined scramble to the tops of the ruins, hoping for an impossible salvation above the tide of the damned.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Season_Conclusions_(Guide)#The_Season_of_Family_Ties|The Season of Family Ties|Fallen London|}}''"You can make out figures clinging like spiders to the tops of the stone pillars, watching. One squeals at the sight the boat; the crowd reacts violently. It surges towards you. A woman forces herself to the front of the mass. "Take me with you! You cannot leave me here." She is hauled back by her hair, another takes her place."''</ref> The entirety of the Far Shore is shrouded in a thick and shifting darkness.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Season_Conclusions_(Guide)#The_Season_of_Family_Ties|The Season of Family Ties|Fallen London|}}''"The far country is veiled in a restless dark. Its shore is thick with shadows. As you watch, they undulate like a dying earthworm. A throbbing hiss fills your ears."''</ref>

 

For the fortunate dead who are able to return to the world of the living, this place lingers only as a half-remembered nightmare.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/You_can_almost_see_details.|You can almost see details.|Fallen London|}}''"All around you, the dead cringe low and moan in desperate fear. You'll carry only a few desperate fragments of what you saw back to the land of the living. If you get there. Perhaps that's for the best."''</ref>

 

Death's Country remains unexplored - or at least, little word has reached us from those who have explored it. Its inhabitants tell of places wondrous as they are macabre: the Onyx Isles, the Last Empire's End, the Wormwood Eclipse, the Colossus of Dust, Winter's Tomb, St Rictus' Feast, the Citadel of Liver. Far from a dead place, these are locations with an active economy, and their own... delectable...? wonders such as blood-clot tea.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Wheel_of_Fortune|The Wheel of Fortune|Fallen London|}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Slobgollion|Slobgollion|Fallen London|}}''and the prices these products might command at St Rictus' Feast, the Citadel of Liver, or even the far-flung Onyx Isles.''</ref> The nonhuman creatures of the Neath know more of these locales, and some are even traded there by other boatmen seeking an opportunity for profit.{{Fact}} It may be a blessing that we humans cannot perceive these locations, as they are hidden under a layer of [[slobgollion]].<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Slobgollion|Slobgollion|Fallen London|}}''you finally know what 'slobgollion' means. It's the colour that oozes between life and death. Most humans will never perceive it, but for the first time, you're aware when you cross the threshold. Death's Country is always right here, cloaked by a colour that no living mind can fathom.''</ref>

<blockquote>''""Go," the Fathomking says languidly. "I won't release her twice.""''<ref name = "zailor life">{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/The_Fathomking#The_Throne-Cyst|"I have come to plead for a zailor's life."|Sunless Sea|}}</ref></blockquote>

Zailors who die on the [[Unterzee]] generally do not return. Some may turn up as [[Drownies]], especially if they ate genuine [[Flukes|rubbery lumps]].<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Yes|Yes|Fallen London|}}</ref>

The [[Fathomking]] is considered by some to be the lord of the Zee's dead.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/The_Fathomking%27s_Hold|Descend to an audience with the Fathomking|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> He is the ruler of the Drownies, and he is actually capable of reviving the dead, for a price.<ref name = "zailor life">{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/The_Fathomking#The_Throne-Cyst|"I have come to plead for a zailor's life."|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> Sometimes, the Fathomking may add "enhancements" to those he revives; for example, he may cure a native of the [[Elder Continent]] of their [[the Elder Continent#Strange Dangers|animescence]],<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/The_Fathomking#The_Throne-Cyst|"Your Complexity: I pray you, give me back my Campaigner."|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> or grant a [[Rubbery Men|Rubbery Man]] the soul of a [[Lorn-Flukes|Lorn-Fluke]].<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/The_Fathomking#The_Throne-Cyst|"Give me back my Outcast."|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> That being said, His Complexity's revivals are not always completely perfect. There may be differences, noticeable or not.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/The_Fathomking#The_Throne-Cyst|"Give me back my Magician."|Sunless Sea|}}</ref>

Those who spend too long in the depths of the Unterzee may meet the spirit [[Lady Black]] instead.

Dying in the [[High Wilderness]] sends a spirit to the [[Blue Kingdom]], an ''enormous'' bureaucracy that processes and judges the dead.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.gamepedia.com/The_Blue_Kingdom|The Blue Kingdom|Sunless Skies|}}</ref> The spirits who roam the Kingdom are called '''shades''', and they often wear white, porcelain masks.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.gamepedia.com/Served_by_Shades|Served by Shades|Sunless Skies|}}</ref> All kinds of creatures can end up becoming shades, including animals, plants,<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.gamepedia.com/The_House_of_Days#The_Court_of_Mules|The Court of Mules|Sunless Skies|}}</ref> and even [[Rubbery Men]].<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.gamepedia.com/The_House_of_Days#The_Porch_of_the_House_of_Days|The Porch of the House of Days|Sunless Skies|}}</ref>

 

 

* The [[Masters of the Bazaar]] have resurrected several individuals in return for the sale of a city to the [[Echo Bazaar]]; however, these have all been imperfect processes. The merchant now known as the [[King with a Hundred Hearts]] had a [[The Mountain of Light|Mountain]]-Sherd implanted in his chest, granting him so much vitality that he became the living city of clay now known as [[Polythreme]].<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Meeting_the_King Meeting the King, Fallen London] ''"[...] The Masters took a diamond from the great glowing mountain in the South and gave it to me for a heart. They made me like this."''</ref> The Pharaoh now called the [[Cantigaster]] has been residing in agony in the underground tunnels that now serve as the [[Shuttered Palace]]'s cellars, oozing incredibly lethal poison for millennia.<ref name=":32">[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Set_forth_into_the_cellars Set forth into the cellars, Fallen ''London''] ''"You can see immediately that the Cantigaster was once a man. Now he is a living, shuddering sac of poison. His flesh swells green and soft like rotting fruit. Foul venoms ooze beneath his skin."''</ref> Most recently, the [[Empress]]' beloved [[Consort]]<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/My_Kingdom_for_a_Pig My Kingdom for a Pig, ''Fallen London''] ''"...enjoyed such invariable good health... and lived so regularly all his life, that the public thought nothing of his illness until they were startled yesterday morning by the bulletin announcing a restless night and the appearance of unsatisfactory symptoms..." [Editor's note: This is a snippet from a real [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-observer-death-of-prince-albert/15721531/ newspaper] announcing the death of Albert in 1861.]''</ref> was revived through unknown means, in exchange for [[London]] and all the Empress' properties.<ref>[https://maskoftherose.miraheze.org/wiki/Mr_Pages#confirming_purchase Mr Pages: Theories or Manifesto for Archie, ''Mask of the Rose''] ''"Her consort was dying. A loss not to be contemplemitted. We preserved him. In exchange: everything else she possessed. London and all that lies in fluminate propinquity, together with the oddments of the imperial hoard."''</ref> The Consort was vigorous enough upon resurrection to resume marital activities with his overjoyed wife,<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/My_Kingdom_for_a_Pig My Kingdom for a Pig, ''Fallen London''] ''"Listen: this is how love sounds. Excessive love and affection. Heavenly love and happiness. Beauty, sweetness, gentleness. My dearest, dearest, dear husband! How can I ever be thankful enough? He clasps her in his arms, and they kiss each other again and again. Their daughter watches through curtains whose folds fall black and heavy from the canopy."''</ref> but over the ensuing decades, he has deteriorated to a vegetative state.<ref name=":0">[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Pose_as_a_servant_(An_Empress%27_Grief) Pose as a servant, ''Fallen London''] ''"Steps in the throne chamber. She's left – but for a moment, perhaps to recompose herself. Your chance. You walk in. The Consort is still on his throne, a placid porcelain mask covering his features. He doesn't move, or make any sound at all. [...]"''</ref>

* Another known method involves creating a [[Noman]] from the remains of the deceased,<ref>[https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/In_the_Service_of_Mr_Sacks The Third Delivery, ''Sunless Sea''] ''"Mr Sacks is staring at a small wooden box as you enter the hold. Inside, wrapped in a few pitiful scraps of velvet, is a lock of blonde hair and a set of teeth. Carefully polished. Barely used. “The winter was harsh. The fire went cold. Later, the mother wished to forget. A convenient tragedy.”"''</ref> in a ritual that also involves [[lacre]]<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/Service_at_Avid_Horizon|Service at Avid Horizon|Sunless Sea|}}''"As soon as you dock, Mr Sacks lumbers ashore. It has been preparing for this. Plunging a hand into its cloak, it removes a handful of ammonia-scented snow. It places it on the ground and adds another on the top. Into this one it presses the teeth and the hair from the small box. Potential. Substance. [...]"''</ref> and bloodletting.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/Service_at_Avid_Horizon|Service at Avid Horizon|Sunless Sea|}}''"You nick your hand with a blade and hold it above the frozen mound. A drop wells up and falls. More follow. They fizz in the lacre, which softens and melts into a puddle of snow; a puddle from which a hand emerges. Then a head. Then another hand; stretching as it clambers up from nowhere. The shape of a child [...]"''</ref> The Noman born from this process possesses the deceased's memories,<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/The_Snow_Child_(event)|Ask the Snow Child about home|Sunless Sea|}}''"London? London! Yes! I wanted to play on the roof-tops, but it made mother cry. She cries a lot, but she says it's not my fault. She'll be worried. Wait - you're not a devil are you? Mother says to look out for devils." It gives you a suspicious sniff. "No. No eggy smell. You can take me back, right? I've always wanted to go zailing."''</ref> but will eventually melt unless further steps are taken.<ref name=":3">{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/Heart_of_Snow|Heart of Snow|Sunless Sea|}}''"The chill of Avid Horizon runs deep [...], but even such primal cold cannot last forever."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/Inside_the_Little_Gate|Find assistance for the Snow Child|Sunless Sea|}}''"Fitting the heart is an unpleasant matter for all concerned, but what must be done is soon finished. At first, nothing seems to have happened. Soon, though, the drips stop. The wound heals. [...]"''</ref>

* A final, esoteric ritual involves immersing a corpse in a vast (and vastly expensive) quantity of [[Hesperidean Cider]],<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Assist_in_the_preparations|Assist in the preparations|Fallen London|}}''"The Relickers manoeuvre the casks to the edge of the tub, and begin to pour. They handle it with the utmost care, reluctant to lose even a drop of the content. [...] It is Hesperidean Cider. A single jug of it has been known to bankrupt entire well-to-do aristocratic lineages. And here is enough to fill an entire bath. You could buy a nation with this."''</ref> and adding [[Curator]] blood to the mixture, among other steps and ingredients.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Conclude_the_rite|Conclude the rite|Fallen London|}}''"[...] Its right side, however, is still flesh, with blood coursing beneath the surface. You make a precise incision. A stream of Master's blood pours into the tub. It clouds in the cider, which begins to froth and boil. [...]"''</ref> While it can work on even a completely decayed body,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Watch_what_ensues_(Brother)|Watch what ensues|Fallen London|}}''"[...] skeletal arms reach forth, grasping for the sides. They are followed by a grinning skull. Blindly, the skeleton gropes about it. You watch as muscles, skin, sinew and flesh grow on the bone like sugar being spun. [...] Hair sprouts from the roots. Skin crawls across muscle, bone, and sinew, hiding away all the grim machinery of mortality. [...]"''</ref> the most significant drawback outside of the sheer expense is that the resurrected individual will have no memory of their former identity or loved ones.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Ambition_Nemesis_%E2%80%93_A_Bath_of_Cider|Ambition Nemesis – A Bath of Cider|Fallen London|}}''"[...] They do not remember you. They turn to you, smiling, and then look up at the cavern roof, speckled with false-stars. They gasp. They do not remember you."''</ref>

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