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| {{spoiler}} | | {{Major spoiler}}{{Character|title1=Mr Pennies|image1=Sovereigns square.png|location=[[Lustrum]]|allegiance=[[The House of Rods and Chains]] (it's complicated)|alias=The Caretaker|relationships=[[Mr Barleycorn]]<br> |
| {{Character|title1=Mr Pennies|image1=Curator.png|location=[[Lustrum]]|allegiance=[[The House of Rods and Chains]] (formerly)|alias=The Caretaker<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/The_House_of_Rods_and_Chains#Mr_Barleycorn's_Belfry|Give Mr Barleycorn the Seal of Mr Pennies|Sunless Skies}} ''"The Caretaker"''</ref>|relationships=[[Mr Barleycorn]]<br> | |
| [[Mr Menagerie]]<br> | | [[Mr Menagerie]]<br> |
| [[Mr Pipes]]<br> |caption1=}}<blockquote>''" Our kind lives long. Much time for mistakes. Blessed place on Chain. Means mistakes can be mighty. These the oldest of us, oldest not willing to die. Come here to prolong life. Too much to fear from the darkness. The stories. Things on the river with chains and thorns. They choose agony of torpor over chance of consequences. This one... did things too. Now, sworn to protect elders. Penance. Maybe one day can find forgiveness. Until then, must stay and watch."''<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies. miraheze. org/ wiki/ The_Light_in_the_Mountain| Talk to Mr Pennies|Sunless Skies}}</ref></ blockquote> | | [[Mr Pipes]]<br>}}<blockquote>''"Everything ends," the figure wheezes. "Even law. For everything, a reckoning. Need help. Need hours. Postpone reckoning. Shadows with thistle ropes and broken wings, waiting on riverbank to catch final breath. Everything dies. Must outlast. We trade, yes? Trade Hours? We trade Hours now, yes? Good quality merchandise..."''<ref name="pennies2">{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.gamepedia.com/Mr_Pennies|Mr Pennies|Sunless Skies|}}</ref></blockquote> |
| | <blockquote>''"If the boon of a long-life is that one out-lasts one's mistakes, its curse is that they nip at your heels for eternity. I wonder what Mr Pennies hides from. Perhaps one day I will ask, before I too beg for protection under the mountain."''<ref name="barleycorn2">{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.gamepedia.com/Mr_Barleycorn%27s_Belfry|Mr Barleycorn's Belfry|Sunless Skies|}}</ref></blockquote>'''Mr Pennies''', known as '''the Caretaker''', is a [[Curator]] of the [[House of Rods and Chains]]. |
| | Pathetic and moth-eaten, Mr Pennies fled to [[Lustrum]] after the House's death. There, it runs a "shop" (more like a begging stand, but charity is a crime<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.gamepedia.com/Mr_Menagerie%27s_Stall_for_Delicious_Scouts|Listen to a story of things past|Sunless Skies|}}</ref>) where it exchanges [[Hours]] for trinkets and Sovereigns.<ref name="pennies2" /> Mr Pennies dislikes the practice of serving the [[Messengers]]; according to it, the Curators who serve them simply go unrewarded.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.gamepedia.com/Mr_Pennies|Show Mr Barleycorn's seal|Sunless Skies|}}</ref> |
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| '''Mr Pennies''' is a [[Curator]] who once served the [[House of Rods and Chains]].__FORCETOC__ | | Deep within Lustrum lies Pennies' hideout, '''the Light in the Mountain'''. There, it uses its gathered Hours to keep a horde of ailing, elderly Curators alive.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.gamepedia.com/The_Light_in_the_Mountain|The Light in the Mountain|Sunless Skies|}}</ref> According to Pennies, these Curators are sinners who chose agony and life over dying and possibly facing the consequences. Pennies himself is a sinner; it looks after these Curators as a form of penance. Mr Pennies also uses a dangerous [[Red Science]] array for its purposes, though it seems to be malfunctioning. Curators who wish to live longer must trade in one of their beloved treasures for Hours.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.gamepedia.com/The_Light_in_the_Mountain|Talk to Mr Pennies|Sunless Skies|}}</ref> |
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| == Moth-Eaten == | | ==References== |
| <blockquote>''"Valuables for sale. Exchange for buried time, yes? Please?"''<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Mr_Pennies|Story description|Sunless Skies}}</ref></blockquote>
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| [[File:Lustrum ambience.png|alt=A town built in a snowy mountain.|thumb|130x130px|[[Lustrum]]]]
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| After the [[House of Rods and Chains]] was slain by the [[Halved]] for disobedience, Mr Pennies fled its duties and took up residence in [[Lustrum]].<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/The_House_of_Rods_and_Chains#Mr_Barleycorn's_Belfry|Talk with Mr Barleycorn|Sunless Skies}} ''"There were seven of us, once. Outcasts, bound to this Messenger's service. But the Messenger defied the Halved's command, and the Halved slew it. We were free. My colleagues, fled."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Mr_Pennies|Talk to Mr Pennies|Sunless Skies}} ''"The miners try to ignore it, but it must have some reason to bother setting up its stall here."''</ref> Time has not been kind to it: it has a pathetic, ragged appearance,<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Mr_Pennies|Show Mr Barleycorn's seal|Sunless Skies}} ''"This moth-eaten creature looks pathetic in comparison, but there must be a connection."''</ref> and it hawks trinkets to buy [[hours]] in a manner that resembles panhandling more than sales.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Mr_Pennies|Show Mr Barleycorn's seal|Sunless Skies}} ''"The cloaked figure beckons to you. "Valuables for sale," [...] "Exchange for buried time, yes? Please?" It offers unusual relics in exchange, or a few rusted coins that would barely buy transport to anywhere else."''</ref>
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| Pennies was once an acquaintance of the [[Masters of the Bazaar]], but chose not to follow them to the [[Neath]].<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Cloven_Seal|Cloven Seal|Fallen London}} ''"One shard reads: 'Not to be forgot.' Another: 'What awaits. Why we must stay.' There are other words, hard to piece together: Pennies and Pipes; Barleycorn and Menagerie."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Incarnadine_Fur_Robe|Incarnadine Fur Robe|Fallen London}} ''"It is unquestionably a token from Mr Menagerie: a sometime acquaintance of ours who chose, disjudiciously, not to accompany us to the Neath."''</ref> The [[Mr Apples|Chiropterous Hoarder]] in particular loathes Mr Pennies and angrily hopes for it to die.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Chiropterous_Hoarder#The_Chiropterous_Hoarder|Ask if it knows Mr Pennies|Sunless Skies}} ''""I hope it dies," says the Chiropterous Hoarder, uncharacteristically ferocious. Fury beats so wildly in its throat that it does nothing for a minute, only strangles its neck with both hands. "I hope it dies, is allowed to lay down at last and be dead.""''</ref> In general, Mr Pennies believes that Curators who serve the [[Messengers]] are asking for disappointment, as it claims they will never be rewarded for their loyalty.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Mr_Pennies|Show Mr Barleycorn's seal|Sunless Skies}} ''"One of seven. Still loyal? Yes. Always loyal. Always waiting for reward. No reward for those who serve the Messengers. Always outcasts. Always disappointed."''</ref>
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| Mr Pennies has a hideout in the mountains near Lustrum that houses numerous elderly [[Curators]].<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Exploring_the_Singing_Caves|Deep in the mountain|Sunless Skies}} ''"Shrivelled creatures hang from the ceiling in tattered cloaks and cradles of iron and bronze. [...] Another of their kind, the one the people of Lustrum call Mr Pennies, moves between them [...]"''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/The_Light_in_the_Mountain|Talk to Mr Pennies|Sunless Skies}} ''"Now, sworn to protect elders."''</ref> These Curators were considered sinners by their kind, so they receive care from Pennies to avoid damnation after their deaths. Pennies itself is a sinner who views its duties as a form of penance,<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/The_Light_in_the_Mountain|Talk to Mr Pennies|Sunless Skies}} ''"Our kind lives long. Much time for mistakes. [...] "These the oldest of us, oldest not willing to die. Come here to prolong life. Too much to fear from the darkness. The stories. Things on the river with chains and thorns. They choose agony of torpor over chance of consequences. This one... did things too. Now, sworn to protect elders. Penance. Maybe one day can find forgiveness. Until then, must stay and watch."''</ref> and it is willing to fight off anyone who may threaten its patients' safety.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/The_Light_in_the_Mountain|Leave Mr Pennies' lair|Sunless Skies}} ''"Bargain to keep its secret [...] Mr Pennies dips its head. The hood falls away. His wings fill your vision and his claws hook into your chest. The monster surges through the caverns, taking flight. [...] Mr Pennies releases you. [...] You land in a freezing drift just feet away from a plateau of rocks that would have split you open like a burst sausage. A narrow escape."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/The_Light_in_the_Mountain|Attempt to slip away|Sunless Skies}} ''"The monster that was Mr Pennies moves too fast to see clearly. Scabbed bat-wings unfurl; its cloak falls back to reveal— All you register is teeth, fury and torn velvet."''</ref>
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| == The Death-Problem ==
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| <blockquote>''"Shrivelled creatures hang from the ceiling in tattered cloaks and cradles of iron and bronze. Polished mirrors and glass lenses arranged around the bright light focus concentrated beams on each of the creatures. They twitch occasionally, but are otherwise immobile. Another of their kind, the one the people of Lustrum call Mr Pennies, moves between them in awkward, jolting steps. It salts their lips with hours and shuffles on."''<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Exploring_the_Singing_Caves|Deep in the mountain|Sunless Skies}}</ref></blockquote>
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| <blockquote>''"Beyond skill to fix. Bought in trade, centuries ago. Filtered light of Judgement. Filtered out laws of death. Worked! But now, need alternative. Discovered Hours. More reliable, but temporary. Need more. Always more."''<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/The_Light_in_the_Mountain|Ask about the light array|Sunless Skies}}</ref></blockquote>
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| [[File:BarrelofUnseasonedHours.webp|alt=Geodes containing gemstones.|thumb|130x130px|[[Hours]]]]
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| Each Curator under Mr Pennies' care has a hoard of treasures they accumulated during their lifetime.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Curator|Curator|Sunless Skies}} ''"Curators accumulate hoards, which they guard violently. Each hoard collects artifacts or creatures themed to the Curator’s particular obsession."''</ref> Pennies sells its patients' lesser treasures for [[hours]] at [[Lustrum]], but permits them one extremely valuable item to hold onto during their age-induced torpor. Pennies then distributes hours to its charges to artificially prolong their lives, but this does little to alleviate their infirmity.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/The_Light_in_the_Mountain|Attempt to slip away|Sunless Skies}} ''"Mr Pennies [...] spreads Hours from a small pot between its various charges – in apparent exchange for the treasures at their feet. Each holds their most precious treasure tight to their chitinous chests; relics of distant worlds, the tears of dead suns, the final evidence of great shames."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/The_Light_in_the_Mountain|Ask about the creatures' treasures|Sunless Skies}} ''"They clutch some tight. Others sit discarded on the floor under their heads. [...] "Most important memory of life. Will only let go after final breath. Smaller ones, they not matter so much. Sell for Hours in town. Hours keep flames of life glowing a while. [...] enough for existence. Enough to keep holding on."''</ref> Pennies also doses itself with hours,<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/The_Light_in_the_Mountain|Talk to Mr Pennies|Sunless Skies}} ''"Mr Pennies salts its own monstrous lips with hours.''</ref> implying it may be starting to feel its age, or it fears growing elderly and losing its strength to serve.
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| Mr Pennies has a device of the [[Red Science]] that shines beams of light from a "wound in the world" onto each of its patients.<ref name = "deep">{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Exploring_the_Singing_Caves|Deep in the mountain|Sunless Skies}} ''"Light pours through a crack in the wall. [...] The crack opens onto a large cavern where the world has been torn open. The wound casts the light, [...] Polished mirrors and glass lenses arranged around the bright light focus concentrated beams on each of the creatures. [...] The light flickers, just for a moment, but apparently a moment too long. A creature shivers and screams. In its death throes, it drops something it had clutched to its chest; a statue of sorts. Its last scream echoes [...]"''</ref> The exact mechanics of the machine are unclear,<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/The_Light_in_the_Mountain|Examine the wound in space|Sunless Skies}} ''"It is unclear if the array of bronze and glass is causing it, or merely channelling its light."''</ref> but it is able to "filter" the [[Judgements]]' laws of death. Unfortunately, it is also malfunctioning,<ref name = "works">{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/The_Light_in_the_Mountain|Ask about the light array|Sunless Skies}} ''""Beyond skill to fix. Bought in trade, centuries ago. Filtered light of Judgement. Filtered out laws of death. Worked! But now, need alternative. Discovered Hours. More reliable, but temporary. Need more. Always more.""''</ref> and if its beams flicker for even a second, any Curators who rely on its light instantly die.<ref name = "deep"/><ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/The_Light_in_the_Mountain|Examine the wound in space|Sunless Skies}} ''""I think the light is keeping those creatures alive," whispers Melusine. "Remember what I said? Light is law. Usually. The Science is... it lets you rewrite the rules. All of them. Even death. But look, I don't think it's working."''</ref> Mr Pennies obtained this device long ago in a trade, but lacks the skill to repair it, leaving it with no choice but to rely on hours as a temporary solution.<ref name = "works"/>
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| ==References==
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| {{Scroll box|text = <references/>}}
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| [[Category:Characters]] | | [[Category:Characters]] |
| [[Category:Nonhuman]] | | [[Category:Nonhuman]] |
| | [[Category:Cited]] |
| [[Category:Curators]] | | [[Category:Curators]] |
