Editing Mr Pages

{{Spoiler}}<blockquote>{{Character
|title1 = Mr Pages
|image1 = image1 = <gallery>
Mrpages.png|FL
Pages.png|MotR
MrPages 1 1f5b97b9-d811-4c62-be19-04fcd6eb9a3b 540x.jpg|Crochet
</gallery>
|caption1 = Mr Pages
|location = [[Fallen London]]<br>
[[Sky Barnet]] (1905)
|alias =Mr Granite <br>
Saint of Inks <br>
Mrs Frontispiece 
|relationships = |allegiance=[[The Masters of the Bazaar]]<br>[[The Echo Bazaar]]|name=}}''"It is my business to keep secrets, your Grace. Mine and the Ministry’s. We desire only to preserve London from maleficitude."''<ref>https://twitter.com/Mr_Pages/status/18017306932150272</ref>

''"'Literomantic purveyor of the written and the read!'"''<ref name="fallenlondon.wiki">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Mr_Pages|Mr Pages|Fallen London}}</ref></blockquote>Known for its bountifacious proclivity towards verboserlous sayitudes, the excitable and personable '''Mr Pages''' is in charge of trade in anything and everything written, read, or both.<ref name="fallenlondon.wiki"/> 

==A ...Man? Creature?... of Letters==
As one of the more amiable Masters, Mr Pages can often be encountered via its campaigns to collect rare literature, either for destruction or for its own private library.<ref name="libraryette">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/A_libraryette_for_Mr_Pages|A libraryette for Mr Pages|Fallen London}}</ref>

Mr Pages employs the [[Ministry of Public Decency]] to <s>collect cool books</s> protect the public from "pestilent and obstacudent" literature.<ref name="libraryette" /><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_shadows_of_the_ring|The shadows of the ring|Fallen London}}</ref> The literature the Ministry is known to suppress can range from somewhat ''fungal'' trends in romantic poetry to various threats to public civility, such as rogue [[Correspondence]] on abandoned streets.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Blemmigan_Affair_(Story)|The Blemmigan Affair (Story)|Fallen London}} ''"We have censored. We have banned! [...] How does carnality flourish within this mycoloidal doggerel?"''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_answer_to_Nightmares%3F|The answer to Nightmares?|Fallen London}}</ref>

Mr Pages also manages the coiling indices of [[London]]'s Notability system, using a collection of adding machines to manage the cutthroat bureaucracy.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Insist_on_Favourable_Circumstances|Insist on Favourable Circumstances|Fallen London}}</ref> It may occasionally send '''Unsigned Letters''' to those deemed Persons of Some Importance, and it may even go as far as to send gifts to the truly extraordinary<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/A_gift%3F|A gift?|Fallen London}}</ref> or offer them inspirations of sorts for advancement in their respective Professions.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/An_Unsigned_Message|An Unsigned Message|Fallen London}}</ref>

Another of Pages' endeavors is the '''<nowiki/>'Dictionopedia'''', a mere draft of which apparently took decades to complete.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Enlist_the_protection_of_another_Master|Enlist the protection of another Master|Fallen London}} ''"The rough draft of its 'Dictionopedia', on which it has laboured for decades, has gone missing."''</ref>

Mr Pages was known as '''Mr Granite''' during the time of the [[First City]],<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Ask_about_her_journeys|Ask about her journeys|Fallen London}}</ref> and is called the '''Saint of Inks''' by the [[Cult of the Sanctified]] in the ''Sunless Skies'' timeline.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/A_Conversation_with_a_Jolly_Anchorite|Accept and be anointed in the Cult of the Sanctified|Sunless Skies}} ''"Parchment is stuffed into your mouth. The Jolly Anchorite beams. "Not too hard was it? You have learnt the first name and met our Saint of Inks.""''</ref> Mr Pages has also published several works under the pseudonym '''<nowiki/>'Mrs Frontispiece'''', and its works are notorious for provoking outpourings of tears.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Send_a_Tear-Drowned_Collection_of_Incomprehensible_Love-Poems_(30_FATE)|Send a Tear-Drowned Collection of Incomprehensible Love-Poems (30 FATE)|Fallen London}}</ref> These, however, are not too popular anymore in the ''Sunless Skies'' timeline.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.gamepedia.com/Bargains|A Selection of Fine Books|Sunless Skies}}</ref>

In its art from ''Mask of the Rose'', Mr Pages is shown wearing an ornate brooch. This brooch dates back to the [[Fourth City]], and is in the style of 13th-14th century [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Horde Golden Horde] jewelry, although it may have been made later.<ref>{{Citation|https://discord.com/invite/failbettergames|Seamus (FBG)|Failbetter Games Discord Server}} ''"I can tell you it's from the Fourth City; the setting of turquoise stones in gold filigree like this is typical of Golden Horde jewellery of the 13th–14th century (though this tells us nothing in particular about the piece in question — it might have been a reproduction, or the work of a particularly conservative artisan, for example)."''</ref> It has not been confirmed whether Pages still wears this brooch in London.<ref>{{Citation|https://discord.com/invite/failbettergames|Seamus (FBG)|Failbetter Games Discord Server}} ''"(Q: Does Pages still wear it in modern FL times?) That's a good question, and another one I don't have an answer for, I'm afraid!"''</ref>
==Revision and Editing==
<blockquote>''"'The book celebrates us. He gave it to me right before—' His voice catches. 'Before that monster...' Mr Pages? The Dandy nods. 'My love spoke a truth. And he stood by it.'"''<ref name="parties">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Make_both_parties_happy_(5_FATE)|Make both parties happy (5 FATE)|Fallen London}}</ref>

''"These are the deeds and annals of your kind – records of accords and journeys, of victories and defeats in bloody primacy contests, the inventories of great troves accumulated by legendary Curators. They are the myths of your ilk, hoarded from firelit councils in the recesses of the sky.''

''"There are parts that may be factually correct, but nevertheless weaken the whole. Your claws twitch. There is a hard flint in your grasp – you itch to amend. To correct and improve. To edit. You set to work."''<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Train_with_Mr_Pages|Train with Mr Pages|Fallen London}}</ref></blockquote>[[File:book.png|thumb|Something to burn? Or something else entirely?]]As one of the busiest Masters, Mr Pages employs a group of individuals known as '''Reliables''' to perform certain tasks,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Mr_Pages_is_a_Master_of_the_Bazaar,_dealing_with_the_printed_word|Mr Pages is a Master of the Bazaar, dealing with the printed word|Fallen London}}</ref> such as retrieving stolen books from its library or serving as pawns in its heated rivalry with [[Mr Iron]].<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Confront_them!|Confront them!|Fallen London}}</ref>

Mr Pages has a ruthless side, especially when it has a chance to procure works of truly extraordinary value. One of these works belonged to the '''Epigrammatic Irishman''' (possibly [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_Wilde Oscar Wilde]). The Irishman's book celebrated his love and intimacies with the '''Wilting Dandy''', but according to the Dandy, the Irishman also spoke a truth and stood by it. This resulted in the Irishman being permanently killed, and the book sitting safe in Mr Pages' library.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Make_both_parties_happy_(5_FATE)|Make both parties happy (5 FATE)|Fallen London}} ''"The book celebrates us. He gave it to me right before—" His voice catches. "Before that monster..." Mr Pages? The Dandy nods. "My love spoke a truth. And he stood by it."''</ref> The Dandy would later go on to steal the book back as a sort of remembrance for the Irishman, but Pages sent its most reliable Reliable to retrieve the book at any cost, even if meant another death.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Break_down_the_door|Break down the door|Fallen London}}</ref>

Mr Pages' sordid history as a revisionist goes back much further than one would expect. During its time in the [[High Wilderness]], Mr Pages encountered a hallowed, sacred cave. Written in words that burned were the histories and achievements, the defeats and victories, and the details of the hoards of the [[Curators]], the species the Masters belong to. But Mr Pages was incensed by this record; in its opinion, some parts left out the full context of events, were based on assumptions, or were... unflattering to the piece as a whole. So Mr Pages got to work revising and editing. Unfortunately for it, tampering with this record was a crime amongst its kind known as '''truth-strangling''', and Pages was promptly captured for its transgression and forced into its current state of affairs.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Train_with_Mr_Pages|Train with Mr Pages|Fallen London}} ''"The writing on the cave wall flares [...] records of accords and journeys, of victories and defeats [...], the inventories of great troves accumulated by legendary Curators. [...] But the text is old. Wrong in cases. [...] There are baseless assumptions and gross omissions. There are parts that may be factually correct, but nevertheless weaken the whole. [...] You set to work. [...] they find you – their claws are upon you, their wings raised in threat..."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/A_Dream_of_Truth-Strangling|A Dream of Truth-Strangling|Fallen London}}</ref>

==The Novel's End==
{{Major spoiler small}}
Mr Pages hopes to return to [[The High Wilderness|the skies]] again to continue its work,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Train_with_Mr_Pages|Train with Mr Pages|Fallen London}} ''"The amendments took a long time, even before I was interrupted. But one day I shall resume my work. Until then, I have the Marvellous."''</ref> and to accomplish this, it aims to win the [[The Marvellous|Marvellous]] - its companion [[Mr Apples|Mr Apples']] own card game - for its Heart's Desire.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Inquire_after_Mr_Pages%27_own_heart%27s_desire|Inquire after Mr Pages' own heart's desire|Fallen London}}</ref> During its time as a player, it has developed a searing hatred for apes;<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Attend_a_Sermon|Attend a Sermon|Fallen London}}</ref> a past winner, Gregory Beechwood, wished to reject humanity and return to monkey (so to speak), but lost none of his skills in the transformation and is now playing the game again!<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Inquire_after_a_delicate_subject|Inquire after a delicate subject|Fallen London}}</ref> Pages is quite annoyed by this development, and will do ''almost anything'' to defeat Beechwood and leave the Neath once and for all.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Accompany_the_Monkey|Accompany the Monkey|Fallen London}} ''""I offer a Chance of my own!" it screeches, in panic. The Monkey shakes its head, but Pages persists. "Name a price! A flask of Hesperidean Cider! A vial of my own blood! The very robe from my back!""''</ref>

== Home At Last ==
<blockquote>''"It would be grateful for a prompt settlement of its expenses and expected emolumations on account for the forthcoming month."''<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/The_Cowled_Loquacitor_presents_its_invoice|The Cowled Loquacitor presents its invoice|Sunless Skies}}</ref></blockquote>By 1905 in the ''Sunless Skies'' timeline, Mr Pages has managed to return to the [[High Wilderness]]; it lives in [[Sky Barnet]],<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/sky_barnet?so=search#Marketplace_of_Litigators|Marketplace of Litigators|Sunless Skies}} ''"Litigators and Resident Devils have set up their stalls among the crowd heading into the Blue Kingdom. “Don’t Go Alone – Hire a Psychopomp!” advises a banner in indigo lettering."''</ref> and is known as the '''Cowled Loquacitor.'''<ref name=":0">{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Sky_Barnet#Marketplace_of_Litigators|Hire a Cowled Loquacitor in exchange for a Volume of Notes|Sunless Skies}} ''"It offers you its assistance with notarisiacal concerns. "''</ref> It serves as a litigator for the dead and anyone else looking to navigate the [[Blue Kingdom]].<ref name=":0" /> It still has a library,<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/The_Cowled_Loquacitor_presents_its_invoice|Pay in antique reading matter|Sunless Skies}} ''"It finds a place for the scrap among the rest of its library. Will it remember where? "''</ref> and is just as verbiacious as ever.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/The_Cowled_Loquacitor_presents_its_invoice|The Cowled Loquacitor presents its invoice|Sunless Skies}} ''"It would be grateful for a prompt settlement of its expenses and expected emolumations on account for the forthcoming month."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Litigator:_the_Cowled_Loquacitor|Litigator: the Cowled Loquacitor|Sunless Skies}} ''"The Loquacitor would very much like to see the treaties, edicts and testimonies which have established the current jurisdiction of the Forge. The Loquacitor is certain that the Scribe must have them, or at least be able to find them, he is after all, in a library. Perhaps he would like the Loquacitor to take a look? The Scribe grudgingly takes your bribe."''</ref> 

The [[Chiropterous Hoarder]] (alias Mr Apples) indicates that Pages was stationed in Sky Barnet by the [[Empress]], who noticed it as it was leaving [[London]].<ref name="ask about other masters2">{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Chiropterous_Hoarder#The_Chiropterous_Hoarder|Ask about the other Masters?|Sunless Skies}}''""So in secret, a few of us followed you to the sky. Most of us did so quietly. One of us made too much noise, and Her Renewed Majesty overheard. It has a job now." The Hoarder sniffs. "Tragic.""''</ref>

==References==
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[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Nonhuman]]
[[Category:The Masters]]
[[Category:Curators]]