Monsieur Pleat

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"Monsieur Pleat, Hypnotist Extraordinaire, performs on stage at Mahogany Hall most weeks. He needs 'volunteers' for his act."[1]

Monsieur Pleat is a mesmerist who works at Mahogany Hall in London,[2] and has ties to both the Glass and the Shroud.[3] He is capable of commanding unwavering loyalty,[4] inducing unconsciousness[5] with a mere gaze,[6] and various other feats of hypnosis.[7] His powers are legitimate, facilitated by a bargain with the Fingerkings.[8]

Monsieur Pleat's signature act does not involve mesmerism at all, and instead has him step through a series of mirrors and emerge transformed.[9] While he may employ a wardrobe as part of the set,[10] there is no prisoner's honey[11] or sleight of hand involved,[12][13] only a collection of veiled black mirrors[14] stored in his dressing room.[15] He always performs with gloves on,[16] and has taken out an insurance policy for each of his fingers.[17]

Beyond the stage, Monsieur Pleat extends his services to private clients, offering at-home sessions that seem to blend entertainment and hypnotherapy.[18] He publishes writings about his work, but some are so rare and esoteric that they are nearly impossible to find.[19] He is wealthy enough to hire assistants to ghostwrite his letters,[20] perhaps thanks to the fact that he is also employed by the Cheery Man as an assassin.[21]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Assist a hypnotist 1, Fallen London
  2. ↑ The Crocodile Who Would Be King, Fallen London "Mahogany Hall's famed hypnotist performs every Saturday night."
  3. ↑ Sell your Theosophistical conclusions, Fallen London "Monsieur Pleat, the hypnotist who dances on both sides of the border between Glass and Shroud, is very interested in hearing about your expedition."
  4. ↑ A chance to hinder your rival, Monsieur Pleat, Fallen London "The man you left behind infiltrated your rival's party exactly as planned. But Pleat's paranoia thickens. Despite the effort, he has begun using mesmerism to compel loyalty in his minions. Your agent's will is no longer wholly his own."
  5. ↑ Challenge Monsieur Pleat, Fallen London "The meal is pleasant. You discuss the Forgotten Quarter's somnolent gloom. Its gentle, coiling mists. Pleat is right: it's a restful place... You snap awake. Your companions are waving increasingly offensive concoctions under your nose to wake you."
  6. ↑ Sell your Theosophistical conclusions, Fallen London "[…] Monsieur Pleat […] looks deep into your eyes as you begin to tell him all about your voyage […] you awaken to a cold, dead fire and an empty writing-case. Will he use your notes to help the Glass or the Shroud? Or for a third purpose altogether?"
  7. ↑ Assist a hypnotist 1, Fallen London (You will believe you are a penguin) "Your job is to volunteer for hypnosis early in the act. Monsieur Pleat will use you to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of his techniques. The moment arrives. You stare at Pleat's pocket-watch as he counts backwards from three..."
  8. ↑ The Stone Guest, Falllen London "He's the worst kind of liar. He pretends to trick the eye, he pretends to be an artist. My work takes great study and years of practice. But he's just made a bargain with things on the other side of mirrors. He's no more than a charlatan."
  9. ↑ The Stone Guest, Falllen London "To the point: I'm attempting to replicate the Moulting of Pleat's Eidolon. How he seems to pass through mirrors; where he gets changed – I have no idea."
  10. ↑ The Crocodile Who Would Be King, Fallen London "On stage, Monsieur Pleat occasionally employs a wardrobe for the trick, which either he or someone from the audience can step inside."
  11. ↑ The Crocodile Who Would Be King, Fallen London "You're informed that the Moulting of Pleat's Eidolon doesn't normally involve honey."
  12. ↑ The Stone Guest, Falllen London "Mirrors are all he needs," they say. "We places 'em where he wants, and leaves him alone."
  13. ↑ The Stone Guest, Falllen London "It's not an illusion," he says, crumpling onto his sofa. "There's no art in it, no technique. He's really doing it. He's moving through mirrors and... changing."
  14. ↑ The Crocodile Who Would Be King, Fallen London "The mirror you need is covered with a veil. "He has quite a collection, but you can't mistake this one. It's black. And whatever happens, don't stare into it.""
  15. ↑ The Crocodile Who Would Be King, Fallen London "You've been told to find a black mirror that's covered with a veil. Apparently you can't miss it. And you can't miss the second black mirror with a veil. Or the third, or the fourth, or the fifth. Monsieur Pleat's dressing room is exclusively hung with black mirrors with veils. What on earth is this man doing in here when he powders his nose before a performance?"
  16. ↑ The Crocodile Who Would Be King, Fallen London "The person behind you clears their throat. Monsieur Pleat is standing in the room. His hand is still on the doorknob. "Well?" he says. "Where are my gloves? I can't perform without gloves! Didn't they tell you that? I swear, you lose one assistant, and everything falls to pieces!""
  17. ↑ The Crocodile Who Would Be King, Fallen London "That's better," says Monsieur Pleat, snatching the gloves. They fit poorly, but he pulls them on. "My fingers need protection. They're worth five thousand Echoes each, if you weren't aware. Which you should be if Management has told you anything. Which they clearly haven't."
  18. ↑ Assist a hypnotist 2, Fallen London "Monsieur Pleat, hypnotist extraordinaire, visits wealthy Society ladies in their homes. His service is a curious mixture of entertainment and therapy[...]"
  19. ↑ The Stone Guest, Falllen London "You check from the speciality shops in Ladybones to the pawnshops in Watchmaker's Hill. Pleat's more obscure texts are rare, to say the least. In a day of searching, you are only able to find a page. And it isn't even instructive: it is, rather, an esoteric philosophy on the nature of glass and reality. [...]"
  20. ↑ The Stone Guest, Falllen London "One of his assistants," the Idealistic Magician says, "wrote this. The handwriting is different each time I've written to him, and the platitudes always the same."
  21. ↑ His operations around the Hill, Fallen London "I've found a pet conjurer. Funny little chap. French name, if I'm not mistaken. He's got friends behind the silver, […], little nip..." - he mimes a bite - "and you're dead as a dog in the dark. And not right in the head when you wake up. […]"
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