Editing Devils
From The Fifth City Wiki
The edit can be undone. Please check the comparison below to verify that this is what you want to do, and then publish the changes below to finish undoing the edit.
Latest revision | Your text | ||
Line 52: | Line 52: | ||
The defeated devils fled to [[Parabola]] via [[Caduceus]] to escape the Judgements' sight.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Repentant_Devil#The_Repentant_Devil|Ask him about his memories of Caduceus|Sunless Skies}} ''""After the Well of the Wolf," [...] "the Devils could no longer remain in the sight of the Judgements: not if we intended to live. We escaped through Caduceus into Parabola, the place that is not; and from there onward. We were a people in exile. Not strong enough to take a place and hold it for our own. Not weak enough to be welcomed as refugees. It was an intolerable time and I take no pleasure in remembering it."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/An_Ancient_Refuge_Site|An Ancient Refuge Site|Fallen London}}''"Once the devils were fleeing an ancient enemy, of overwhelming force, and they came here, swarming from a place called Caduceus into Parabola."''</ref> Led by the '''Eglantine Regent''',<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Discovered:_A_Chilly_Future|Discovered: A Chilly Future|Fallen London}} ''"Book of Roses 2:1-3: AND AMONG THE PEOPLE AROSE a great and fearful clamour [...] And from this clamour arose a few great voices to lead them. And among these great voices arose the Eglantine Regent, she who bargains with serpents."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Discovered:_A_Dark_Future|Discovered: A Dark Future|Fallen London}} ''"Book of Roses 3:7: AND THE EGLANTINE REGENT SAID unto the people: “I have signed a bargain with serpents; and I have given us a road to walk; and the mirrors shall open to us; and there we shall make new law; and there we shall draft the plans of a city that is already ours.” And upon hearing this, the people rejoiced."''</ref> they made a deal with the [[Fingerkings]]<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Receive_the_story_in_the_form_of_cascabel_venom|Receive the story in the form of cascabel venom|Fallen London}} ''"The devils swarming into Parabola longed for many things: for souls, for escape, for their own deaths and the things that waited beyond each death. The Fingerkings saw their longing, and welcomed them as food. The devils were bargainers, contract-writers, enemies of the stars. The Fingerkings saw their nature, and welcomed them as allies. The devils were hollow, skin-shedders, eternally in chrysalis. The Fingerkings saw their capacity, and welcomed them as salvation."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Discovered:_A_Discordant_Future|Discovered: A Discordant Future|Fallen London}} ''"Book of Roses 4:6-7: AND THE PEOPLE SHED THEIR SKINS to squeeze through mirrors. And the people wandered a wasted sky beyond the glass. It was a time of famine and bitter cold, and the people faltered and regretted their flight. And the Eglantine Regent said unto them: "This place Is Not; and what Is Not may not harm us. For we do exist, and we exist more than anything in existence.""''</ref> and spent "aeons"<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Hold_steady|Hold steady|Fallen London}} ''"Aeons passed [...] They searched the mirrors endlessly for a suitable destination in which to hide themselves, but always that goal remained out of reach – until they found the Neath. Until the first person brought the first looking-glass below."''</ref> in Parabola,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Discovered:_A_Jewelled_Future|Discovered: A Jewelled Future|Fallen London}} ''"The Book of Roses 5:4-5: [...] Thus spake the Parlous Knot: "This is the dream of a giant, that we have set aside for you to dwell within." And the people set down their baggage and were still. And said the Eglantine Regent: "Here we shall make camp, but we shall not build our city; for our city has always lain elsewhere.""''</ref> mapping and planning.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Discovered:_A_Nearby_Future|Discovered: A Nearby Future|Fallen London}} ''"Book of Roses 6:5-7: AND THE PEOPLE BUILT FURNACES and made maps. They devised new numbers with which to calculate the position of their home. And the Parlous Knot looked upon these works, and saw that they were good. And so said the Eglantine Regent: “Soon we will arrive in Hell.” And the Parlous Knot rejoiced, for it believed that it would accompany them."''</ref> When the devils finally discovered the [[Neath]], the Fingerkings thought they had found their ticket to existence - but it was a poisoned bargain,<ref name=":0">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Discovered:_A_Neon_Future|Discovered: A Neon Future|Fallen London}} ''"Book of Roses 7:7-9: AND WHEN THE TIME CAME for the people to depart the Is-Not, they made their passage through Irem. [...] And so said the Eglantine Regent: “For the future to arrive one must have a present.” And the Parlous Knot cursed the name of the Eglantine Regent. And the Parlous Knot perished."''</ref> since the devils' bodies corroded anything that tried to possess them.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Neutralise_the_poison;_the_antidote_is_already_in_you|Neutralise the poison; the antidote is already in you|Fallen London}} ''"Aeons passed. The Fingerkings waited. The devils built furnaces in Parabola, and laid down trade routes; looked out of mirrors, and considered new homes; and for generations searched for their new Hell. When they discovered the Neath at last, the Fingerkings proved unable to possess them. To be swallowed by a devil was death and dissolution. A Fingerking lives on desire, and a devil cannot sustain it. It was the death of the Parlous Knot."''</ref> The devils passed through mirrors back into reality, and proceeded westward from [[Irem]]<ref name=":0" /> until they settled at the current location of [[Hell]], bargaining with the [[Creditor]] for safe settlement.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Discovered:_An_Abyssal_Future|Discovered: An Abyssal Future|Fallen London}} ''"Book of Roses 10:2-3: WHEN THE PEOPLE CAME TO THE END of their voyage west, they set down their baggage and began the work of building a new city. And there they made petition to the powers of the Earth, who might set the boundaries of their city."''</ref> The founding of Hell was promptly celebrated by the deposition of the Eglantine Regent, who had proclaimed herself sole ruler.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Discovered:_An_Altered_Future|Discovered: An Altered Future|Fallen London}} ''"AND WHEN THE LAST BRICK WAS LAID on the last wall of Hell, there arose a great and joyful clamour among the people. And there the Eglantine Regent lit the furnaces once again, so that those great voices among the people might devise new laws. And there the Eglantine Regent made a proclamation of her rulership. Upon hearing this, the people struck her down."''</ref> (At least if the Book of Roses is to be believed; it is possible, given subsequent events, that this last segment was added much later.) | The defeated devils fled to [[Parabola]] via [[Caduceus]] to escape the Judgements' sight.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Repentant_Devil#The_Repentant_Devil|Ask him about his memories of Caduceus|Sunless Skies}} ''""After the Well of the Wolf," [...] "the Devils could no longer remain in the sight of the Judgements: not if we intended to live. We escaped through Caduceus into Parabola, the place that is not; and from there onward. We were a people in exile. Not strong enough to take a place and hold it for our own. Not weak enough to be welcomed as refugees. It was an intolerable time and I take no pleasure in remembering it."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/An_Ancient_Refuge_Site|An Ancient Refuge Site|Fallen London}}''"Once the devils were fleeing an ancient enemy, of overwhelming force, and they came here, swarming from a place called Caduceus into Parabola."''</ref> Led by the '''Eglantine Regent''',<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Discovered:_A_Chilly_Future|Discovered: A Chilly Future|Fallen London}} ''"Book of Roses 2:1-3: AND AMONG THE PEOPLE AROSE a great and fearful clamour [...] And from this clamour arose a few great voices to lead them. And among these great voices arose the Eglantine Regent, she who bargains with serpents."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Discovered:_A_Dark_Future|Discovered: A Dark Future|Fallen London}} ''"Book of Roses 3:7: AND THE EGLANTINE REGENT SAID unto the people: “I have signed a bargain with serpents; and I have given us a road to walk; and the mirrors shall open to us; and there we shall make new law; and there we shall draft the plans of a city that is already ours.” And upon hearing this, the people rejoiced."''</ref> they made a deal with the [[Fingerkings]]<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Receive_the_story_in_the_form_of_cascabel_venom|Receive the story in the form of cascabel venom|Fallen London}} ''"The devils swarming into Parabola longed for many things: for souls, for escape, for their own deaths and the things that waited beyond each death. The Fingerkings saw their longing, and welcomed them as food. The devils were bargainers, contract-writers, enemies of the stars. The Fingerkings saw their nature, and welcomed them as allies. The devils were hollow, skin-shedders, eternally in chrysalis. The Fingerkings saw their capacity, and welcomed them as salvation."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Discovered:_A_Discordant_Future|Discovered: A Discordant Future|Fallen London}} ''"Book of Roses 4:6-7: AND THE PEOPLE SHED THEIR SKINS to squeeze through mirrors. And the people wandered a wasted sky beyond the glass. It was a time of famine and bitter cold, and the people faltered and regretted their flight. And the Eglantine Regent said unto them: "This place Is Not; and what Is Not may not harm us. For we do exist, and we exist more than anything in existence.""''</ref> and spent "aeons"<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Hold_steady|Hold steady|Fallen London}} ''"Aeons passed [...] They searched the mirrors endlessly for a suitable destination in which to hide themselves, but always that goal remained out of reach – until they found the Neath. Until the first person brought the first looking-glass below."''</ref> in Parabola,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Discovered:_A_Jewelled_Future|Discovered: A Jewelled Future|Fallen London}} ''"The Book of Roses 5:4-5: [...] Thus spake the Parlous Knot: "This is the dream of a giant, that we have set aside for you to dwell within." And the people set down their baggage and were still. And said the Eglantine Regent: "Here we shall make camp, but we shall not build our city; for our city has always lain elsewhere.""''</ref> mapping and planning.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Discovered:_A_Nearby_Future|Discovered: A Nearby Future|Fallen London}} ''"Book of Roses 6:5-7: AND THE PEOPLE BUILT FURNACES and made maps. They devised new numbers with which to calculate the position of their home. And the Parlous Knot looked upon these works, and saw that they were good. And so said the Eglantine Regent: “Soon we will arrive in Hell.” And the Parlous Knot rejoiced, for it believed that it would accompany them."''</ref> When the devils finally discovered the [[Neath]], the Fingerkings thought they had found their ticket to existence - but it was a poisoned bargain,<ref name=":0">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Discovered:_A_Neon_Future|Discovered: A Neon Future|Fallen London}} ''"Book of Roses 7:7-9: AND WHEN THE TIME CAME for the people to depart the Is-Not, they made their passage through Irem. [...] And so said the Eglantine Regent: “For the future to arrive one must have a present.” And the Parlous Knot cursed the name of the Eglantine Regent. And the Parlous Knot perished."''</ref> since the devils' bodies corroded anything that tried to possess them.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Neutralise_the_poison;_the_antidote_is_already_in_you|Neutralise the poison; the antidote is already in you|Fallen London}} ''"Aeons passed. The Fingerkings waited. The devils built furnaces in Parabola, and laid down trade routes; looked out of mirrors, and considered new homes; and for generations searched for their new Hell. When they discovered the Neath at last, the Fingerkings proved unable to possess them. To be swallowed by a devil was death and dissolution. A Fingerking lives on desire, and a devil cannot sustain it. It was the death of the Parlous Knot."''</ref> The devils passed through mirrors back into reality, and proceeded westward from [[Irem]]<ref name=":0" /> until they settled at the current location of [[Hell]], bargaining with the [[Creditor]] for safe settlement.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Discovered:_An_Abyssal_Future|Discovered: An Abyssal Future|Fallen London}} ''"Book of Roses 10:2-3: WHEN THE PEOPLE CAME TO THE END of their voyage west, they set down their baggage and began the work of building a new city. And there they made petition to the powers of the Earth, who might set the boundaries of their city."''</ref> The founding of Hell was promptly celebrated by the deposition of the Eglantine Regent, who had proclaimed herself sole ruler.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Discovered:_An_Altered_Future|Discovered: An Altered Future|Fallen London}} ''"AND WHEN THE LAST BRICK WAS LAID on the last wall of Hell, there arose a great and joyful clamour among the people. And there the Eglantine Regent lit the furnaces once again, so that those great voices among the people might devise new laws. And there the Eglantine Regent made a proclamation of her rulership. Upon hearing this, the people struck her down."''</ref> (At least if the Book of Roses is to be believed; it is possible, given subsequent events, that this last segment was added much later.) | ||
After establishing the government of Hell, the devils began to be ruled by Princes ([[Grand Devils]]), but these were all overthrown in one '''[[Season of Revolutions]]'''. While it is unknown whether any Grand Devils still roam free in the [[Neath]], their supporters live in exile in the crater of [[Mount Palmerston]]<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/Mount_Palmerston#Interactions|Chat to the port-folk about the Brimstone Convention|Sunless Sea}} ''"Chat to the port-folk about the Brimstone Convention [...] There was a revolution in Hell: and the aristocracy of devils fled here. Here, they plot in exile. [...] “They don't do us any harm. They stay up there, and we stay down here."''</ref> and among the [[Brazen Brigade]] of the [[Hinterlands]]. The [[Brass Embassy]] will now pay a fortune for the whereabouts of just one of their former overlords.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Reported_Location_of_a_One-Time_Prince_of_Hell|Reported Location of a One-Time Prince of Hell|Fallen London}} ''"The season of revolutions brought an end to thrones in Hell. Where did their nobility take refuge? And what will Hell pay to find them out?"''</ref> | |||
At some point after humans arrived in the [[Neath]], the devils' old rivals, the Fingerkings, consulted "the grumpiest bee in both worlds" for advice on how to bring more creatures to Parabola.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Order_Serpentine,_Melancholy|Order Serpentine, Melancholy|Fallen London|}} ''"ONCE UPON A TIME there was a little snake, no bigger than your finger, who lived behind the mirror. The little snake was very lonely, and the only friends he could find behind the mirror were old memories and strangling roots and the grumpiest bee above or below the world. And so…"''</ref> In an apparent attempt to settle the earlier grudge between the two parties, the Fingerkings offered to give one-fifth of the proceeds of their endeavors (probably [[souls]]) to Hell.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Order_Serpentine,_Sorrowful|Order Serpentine, Sorrowful|Fallen London|}} ''"...THE LITTLE SNAKE asked the grumpiest bee in both worlds for help. And the bee said, why should I help? And the snake said, I will give you one-fifth of all I gain thereby. So the bee thought, and he said, in a far place there grows a rose. And that rose..."''</ref> In return, the devils used the Hellish [[Exile's Rose]] to brew the first batches of [[Prisoner's Honey|prisoner's honey]], creating a lucrative export for themselves and granting the Fingerkings their "new friends."<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Order_Serpentine,_Lachrymose|Order Serpentine, Lachrymose|Fallen London|}} ''"...THE ROSE, WHICH IS CALLED EXILE'S ROSE, has a property of passage. So shall I brew a honey from its dusts and pollens, and the honey shall be sweet, and it shall bring those who taste it, here to your dwelling. And sometimes they shall stay forever. And the little snake was very pleased with all the new friends the honey brought, but..."''</ref> | At some point after humans arrived in the [[Neath]], the devils' old rivals, the Fingerkings, consulted "the grumpiest bee in both worlds" for advice on how to bring more creatures to Parabola.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Order_Serpentine,_Melancholy|Order Serpentine, Melancholy|Fallen London|}} ''"ONCE UPON A TIME there was a little snake, no bigger than your finger, who lived behind the mirror. The little snake was very lonely, and the only friends he could find behind the mirror were old memories and strangling roots and the grumpiest bee above or below the world. And so…"''</ref> In an apparent attempt to settle the earlier grudge between the two parties, the Fingerkings offered to give one-fifth of the proceeds of their endeavors (probably [[souls]]) to Hell.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Order_Serpentine,_Sorrowful|Order Serpentine, Sorrowful|Fallen London|}} ''"...THE LITTLE SNAKE asked the grumpiest bee in both worlds for help. And the bee said, why should I help? And the snake said, I will give you one-fifth of all I gain thereby. So the bee thought, and he said, in a far place there grows a rose. And that rose..."''</ref> In return, the devils used the Hellish [[Exile's Rose]] to brew the first batches of [[Prisoner's Honey|prisoner's honey]], creating a lucrative export for themselves and granting the Fingerkings their "new friends."<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Order_Serpentine,_Lachrymose|Order Serpentine, Lachrymose|Fallen London|}} ''"...THE ROSE, WHICH IS CALLED EXILE'S ROSE, has a property of passage. So shall I brew a honey from its dusts and pollens, and the honey shall be sweet, and it shall bring those who taste it, here to your dwelling. And sometimes they shall stay forever. And the little snake was very pleased with all the new friends the honey brought, but..."''</ref> | ||
==References== | ==References== |