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)}}
<blockquote>''"Death in the Fifth City isn't necessarily the end. If you're stabbed or shot, someone may come along and sew you back together soon enough. If you're drowned, you'll wake with a hangover. If you die of old age or disease, or if you're hacked to pieces, it's a more serious matter. But in any case, once you die and return to life down here, you'll never be permitted to return to the surface...unless you're one of the few who find a way to immortality."''<ref name = "snippets">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Sidebar_Snippets|Sidebar Snippets|Fallen London|}}
</ref></blockquote>

'''Death '''is the end to all things. But in the [[The Neath|Neath]], and beyond, death can be, for lack of a better term, quite strange.__forcetoc__

==Not Again==
<blockquote>''"Your wounds have proven too much for you! You collapse. It's like going to sleep. If going to sleep really hurt."''<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/A_sudden_darkness!|A sudden darkness!|Fallen London|}}</ref></blockquote>

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|}}
</ref> The newly impermanent nature of true death has caused some... ''changes'' in London's society. Serial killers like [[Jack-of-Smiles]] aren't nearly as feared as those on the Surface, and the newly devised game of [[Knife-and-Candle]] essentially consists of players competitively murdering each other. And [[The Church|God's Editors]] have had to significantly revise the Bible in the wake of this strange new status quo.

There are still a few things that can tighten mortality's grip on a Londoner permanently, however. Generally, if one has lost their heart or head, or otherwise been chopped up into mincemeat, they are very, very unlikely to return to life. [[The Cantigaster|Cantigaster]] venom is also a convenient tool with which to end someone's life for good. Death of natural causes and old age create varying results; the would-be deceased usually becomes a [[The Tomb-Colonies|tomb-colonist]] if they don't die permanently of illness.<ref name = "snippets"/>

==The Boatman==
{{Major spoiler small}}
<blockquote>''"Well, apparently he plays chess in paintings and folk-songs. Which are always accurate, of course."''<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Play_chess_with_the_Boatman|Play chess with the Boatman|Fallen London|}}</ref></blockquote>

<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>
[[File:Boatmanhat.png|thumb|The Boatman's Hat]]
'''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"/> and 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|}}</ref> though he has also stated that he "failed" these powers in some way, forcing him into exile.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/An_Episode_for_Exceptional_Friends|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>
[[File:Boatmanlamp.png|thumb|The Boatman's Lantern]]
The job of the Boatman seems to be a bequeathed one to an extent, as the current Boatman is actually 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>

==A Slow Boat==
<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>

[[File:Swamphand.png|thumb|Where do [[The Constables|they]] bury the bodies?]]
People who die in the Neath, whether temporarily or permanently, end up on '''a slow boat passing a dark beach on a silent river''', a limbo of sorts. The dead await the boat on the near shore, and travel to the far shore to rest forever. Those who come to this place often have neither their bodies nor their souls, as both facets of their being still exist in the world of the living.<ref name = "rem"/>

The land of the dead is almost completely disconnected from the land of the living, though on occasion, items such as spectacles may cross over.<ref name = "the shallows">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Shallows|The Shallows|Fallen London|}} ''"The Skittish Engineer waves his spectacles [...] "Incredible that these passed over with me. I can't tell if they're clean or not.""''</ref> The land also has five rivers,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Trail_your_fingers_in_the_water|Trail your fingers in the water|Fallen London|}}</ref> implying similarities to the Greek Hades, and it's implied that it ''may'' have ties to [[Parabola|the place beyond mirrors]].<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Gaze_into_Heart%27s_Mirror|Gaze into Heart%27s Mirror|Fallen London|}}</ref>

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|}}
</ref>

===The Far Shore===
<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>Few return from the Far Shore: the dwelling of the permanently dead, tormented and desperate for one more chance. Those who do return retain little if any memory of what they have seen.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/You_can_almost_see_details.|You can almost see details.|Fallen London|}}</ref>

===Other Locations===

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 Ellipse, 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 non-human creatures of the Neath may learn of these locales - or perhaps be traded therein, for there are other boatmen who will not decline an opportunity for profit in the trade of the dead. It is perhaps a blessing that we cannot perceive these locations, hidden as they are 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>

==The Deep, Dark Zee==
<blockquote>''"You, and all your crew, are gone. London will speculate in vain as to how you might have met your end."''<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/Lost_With_All_Hands|Lost With All Hands|Sunless Sea|}}</ref></blockquote>

<blockquote>''"A wall puckers open, and a guard in a thorned exoskeleton brings in a shivering zailor."''</blockquote>

<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>
[[File:Drowned.png|thumb|Lost with all hands...]]
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.

==Death in the Heavens==
<blockquote>''"The Ephemera are the many, many dead who have come to the Blue Kingdom to enter by Death's Door. They are Ephemera only until they pass through, and then... but it is forbidden to speak of that higher mystery."''<ref name = "consult">{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.gamepedia.com/Sky_Barnet#Free_Consultation|What is Ephemera status?|Sunless Skies|}}</ref></blockquote>

[[File:Maskedshade.png|thumb|120px|A Shade. Art from Sunless Skies.]]
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 dead are sent to the Toll-Tower near [[Sky Barnet]]<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.gamepedia.com/Sky_Barnet#The_Toll-Tower|The Toll-Tower|Sunless Skies|}}</ref> and stand before the [[Sky Barnet#The House of Days|House of Days]] to be considered [[The_Blue_Kingdom#The Sky Under a Sun|Ephemera]], and thus properly registered, by the Kingdom's bureaucracies.<ref name = "consult"/> Following that, they must face final judgement by the [[The White Well#The Stone-Faced Court|Stone-Faced Court]] near the [[White Well]];<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.gamepedia.com/The_White_Well#The_Stone-Faced_Court|The Stone-Faced Court|Sunless Skies|}}</ref> those who are deemed worthy are granted the privilege of passing through [[Death's Door]] to an unknown fate.<ref name = "consult"/> However, certain individuals, such as immortality seekers, end up imprisoned forever within the Well,<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.gamepedia.com/The_Trials_of_the_Dead|Intercede on the Failed Dead's behalf|Sunless Skies|}}</ref> and the dead who linger in the Blue Kingdom for too long often simply fade into nothing.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.gamepedia.com/An_Encounter_in_the_Blue_Kingdom|Make the writhing spirit as comfortable as possible|Sunless Skies|}}</ref>

==References==
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[[Category:Other Things of Significance]]
[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Nonhuman]]