"There are some things we were not meant to know, they say. But you wouldn't be down here if you took that seriously."
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"WHOSO THIRSTETH AND DRINKETH OF THIS, SO SHALL HE NEVER DIE."[1]
Hesperidean Cider is a drink said to grant everlasting life. It is brewed by the Masters of the Bazaar (chiefly Mr Apples),[2] and sold by the firkin at the Echo Bazaar for a very steep price.
"Did you really see the Boatman thrash away at his oar like he was in a boat race? As if he was desperate to get away from you? It doesn't matter. You're back now."[3]
When drunk, this cider heals the imbiber's physical wounds[4] and grants multi-sensory visions of the mysterious paradise known as the Garden.[5][6] It appears to repel and quite possibly scare the Boatman, who can sense the presence of Hesperidean Cider in a person's veins;[7] this allows one to immediately return to life after dying, rather than spend time on the Slow Boat.[8] The cider also banishes distasteful smells, and has a strong life-fostering effect, even on inanimate objects, and even when not in direct contact with the liquid.[9]
"You dream of a place of tremendous beauty. The garden reminds you of the great jungles of the Surface, the sky brightly lit, the heat heavy. All things seem to fly here, and the trees bear boughs amply filled with golden fruit."[10]
Hesperidean Cider is brewed from golden Hesperidean Apples, which grow in the Garden and from a single tree in the Mirror-Marches.[11] These taste like any other apple,[12] but they are still potent: consumption not only restores all wounds, but also induces a supposedly positive form of hysteria.[13]
While the Masters are now the primary manufacturers of Hesperidean Cider, the Capering Relicker was the first to brew it and follow its visions to obtain true immortality.[14]
In the Sunless Skies timeline, Mr Apples (now called the Chiropterous Hoarder) still has Hesperidean Cider, but its supply is dwindling.[15]
↑Drink, and luxuriate in your bed, Fallen London"You dream of a place of tremendous beauty. The garden reminds you of the great jungles of the Surface, the sky brightly lit, the heat heavy. All things seem to fly here, and the trees bear boughs amply filled with golden fruit."
↑Sip, and write notes on the taste, Fallen London"The flavour makes you think of boughs laden with golden fruit; makes you consider the sacredness of flying things. It tastes of vitality, it tingles with flavours of eternal life."
↑Are you lost?, Fallen London"Did you really see the Boatman thrash away at his oar like he was in a boat race? As if he was desperate to get away from you? It doesn't matter. You're back now."
↑Rarest fruit, Sunless Sea"In the farthest South, [...] a garden blooms. In ages past, birds stole the seeds from that garden. One bird hid here, in the Mirror-Marches."
↑Hesperidean Apple, Sunless Sea"That taste! ...is the taste of apples. Crisp, juicy, but to be honest, a little bit too tart. Disappointing. You were expecting more. ..."
↑Hesperidean Apple, Sunless Sea"When the gold is gone from your eyes and brain [...] Your clothes will need repair. No one seems to have heard your wild laughter [...] Your heart is still pounding, but it will probably stop eventually. Your cabin is scrawled with poetry. Some of it's quite good, actually. Quite good, considering the circumstances."
