Editing Mr Spices

{{Spoiler}}
{{Character
|title1 = 
|image1 = Mr spices.png
|caption1 = Mr Spices
|location = [[Fallen London]]
|alias =The Honey-Lord<br>
Saint of the Silk Road 
|relationships =[[Curators]] (species)<br>
[[Mr Wines]] (rival)<br>
[[The Solicitor-Baroness]] (ex-partner) <br>
<font color="white"><span style="background-color: white">Mr Transport (child) |allegiance=[[The Masters of the Bazaar]]<br>[[The Echo Bazaar]]}}
<blockquote>''"I do not play games! I am a Master of the Bazaar! It is not a matter for games!"''<ref>https://twitter.com/Mr_Spices/status/8077953296502784</ref></blockquote>

<blockquote>''"'Purveyor of spices and sweet smokes. The only reliable source for dreams. Do not accept imitations.'"''<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Mr_Spices_(Nemesis)]{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Mr_Spices_(Nemesis)|Mr Spices|Fallen London|}}</ref></blockquote>

'''Mr Spices''' is an irritable and peevish [[Curator]] who serves as a [[Master of the Bazaar]].

==The Inimitable==
<blockquote>''"Mr Spices' den is a fragrant, colourful desert of seasonings. Your eye wanders over ridges of turmeric and basil; over dunes of lavender. Escarpments of cinnamon rise shoulder high. Scents press onto your tongue. The olfactory bombardment is exquisite; unbearable."''<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Incarnadine_Fur_Robe|Incarnadine Fur Robe|Fallen London|}}</ref></blockquote>Mr Spices is in charge of trade in spices, sweet smokes, and [[Prisoner's Honey|prisoner's honey]].<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Mr_Spices_(Nemesis)|Mr Spices (Nemesis)|Fallen London|}} ''"Purveyor of spices and sweet smokes. The only reliable source for dreams. Do not accept imitations."''</ref> It is a fairly reclusive Master, and much of its scheming occurs behind the scenes.

[[Mr Wines]] and Mr Spices were once close allies, but they now fight fiercely over the domain of [[Parabola|dreams]] following the death of one of their colleagues during the fall of the [[Third City]].<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Uncle_Archibald%27s_Legacy|Uncle Archibald's Legacy|Fallen London|}}''"Back before that vile business with the Third City Priest-Kings, the pair were the closest of colleagues. But now they claw and hiss like cats in a sack."''</ref> Wines covets the honeyed roads into Parabola that Spices currently presides over,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Mr_Wines_(The_Machine%27s_Fulcrum,_Homecoming)|Mr Wines|Fallen London|}}''"You've assisted Wines in a delicate matter, against Mr Spices, once."''</ref> and their warring often manifests as a destructive dance of fire and ice known as the '''Fire Sermon.'''<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Tell_him_about_your_dreams_of_ice_and_fire|Tell him about your dreams of ice and fire|Fallen London|}}''"A paradox. The irresistible force and the immovable object. The vine and the honey-bee: so many centuries of conflict! At the violet hour, two of Dionysus' many faces. Entwined, symbiotic, in an orbit of hatred whose parabola describes fixated love... I can think of two who might be interested in the details of this. But perhaps I should tell only one, heh heh."''</ref>

Mr Spices resides in a den filled to the brim with spices: turmeric, basil, lavender, cinnamon; enough to overwhelm even the most tasteless of palates.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Incarnadine_Fur_Robe|Incarnadine Fur Robe|Fallen London|}} ''"Mr Spices' den is a fragrant, colourful desert of seasonings. Your eye wanders over ridges of turmeric and basil; over dunes of lavender. Escarpments of cinnamon rise shoulder high. Scents press onto your tongue. The olfactory bombardment is exquisite; unbearable."''</ref>

Mr Spices was known as the '''Honey-Lord''' during the time of the Third City.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Speak_to_the_woman_on_the_right|Speak to the woman on the right|Fallen London|}}''"My love awaits me. The Honey-Lord promised me."''</ref> In the ''Sunless Skies'' timeline, it is called the '''Saint of the Silk Road''' by the [[Cult of the Sanctified]] at [[Avid Horizon]].<ref name="crowning saints2">{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.gamepedia.com/The_Jolly_Anchorite|The crowning of the saints|Sunless Skies|}}''""To learn the names of our final three, you must indulge!" You gulp your way through the swirling scarlet depths of the chalice. [...] "There now. All shall be well. You have met the last of them: the Saint of the Silk Road [...]""''</ref>
==The Ironmonger's Knives==
<blockquote>''"The Bazaar has... appetites. And it is one of our many duties, along with that sodden villain Wines, to fulfil those needs. You understand that Jack-of-Smiles was something of an experiment. Using the unnatural vitality of the first customer's lover, we created Jack. For what inspires love more than the threat of death?"''<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Defeat_Jack_completely_(10_FATE)|Defeat Jack completely (10 FATE)|Fallen London|}}</ref></blockquote>
[[File:Jack.png|thumb|100px|[[Jack-of-Smiles]]]]Like many of its colleagues, Mr Spices wishes to return to the [[High Wilderness]] by fulfilling its contract; furthermore, it and Mr Wines are the primary Masters responsible for the collection of love stories for the [[Bazaar]].<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Light_Fingers%3A_Mr_Fires'_Ultimatum_2|Light Fingers - Mr Fires' Ultimatum 2|Fallen London|}} ''"You know, of course, that Wines and Spices are engaged in the collection of love stories."''</ref>

To achieve its goals quickly, Mr Spices gave a honey-sipping man who lived in [[Polythreme]] a rather distressing dream, telling him that his wife was unfaithful. The man burnt down the town he lived in out of rage, but he was severely honey-mazed, and he destroyed said town in reality as well.<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Find_out_its_history Find out its history, ''Fallen London''] ''"THERE WAS A GROUP OF THEM. YOU WOULD SAY A 'FAMILY'. THE MAN TOOK HONEY. HE DREAMED. SOMEONE TOLD HIM IN DREAMS THAT THE WOMAN CARED ONLY FOR ANOTHER. HE DREAMED OF BURNING DOWN THE TOWN. BUT HE WAS MAZED IN DREAMS. HIS BODY CAME BACK BEFORE HIS MIND. AND HE TOOK THE LAMP OIL AND THE MATCHES AND HE BURNED THEM."''</ref> This killed the town's vitality, leaving only a single building standing: the '''Ironmonger's Workshop'''.<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Find_out_its_history Find out its history, ''Fallen London''] ''"THE BUILDING IS... WRONG, NOW. ITS LIFE WAS BURNT. THERE IS SOMETHING ELSE LEFT THERE NOW."''</ref>

Within this workshop, Spices enlisted the help of several iron workers to produce many, many Polythremic knives.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Found_it|Found it|Fallen London|}} ''"He's only been here a month. He doesn't know any of the previous occupants of the workshop."''</ref> Unbeknownst to them, each knife carried with it a sinister vitality, crueler than any other found in the Neath. These knives soon possessed their wielders in [[London]], and these unfortunate souls became known as the various iterations of [[Jack-of-Smiles]].<ref name=":1">[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Jack%27s_Origin Jack's Origin, ''Fallen London''] ''"However you came here, you are now sure. Jack-of-Smiles is the result of a set of knives. Knives with more personality than cutlery should have. Knives from Polythreme."''</ref> Much to Spices' chagrin, the love stories produced by the tension and drama of Jack's sprees were rejected by the Bazaar for being overly synthetic, so Spices shrugged its winged shoulders and left the mess for someone else to clean up; other matters required its attention.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Defeat_Jack_completely_(10_FATE)|Defeat Jack completely (10 FATE)|Fallen London|}} ''""So, yes, we constructed [...] Jack-of-Smiles. Dreams and our agent and honey and so forth. [...] Most regrettable. [...] the Bazaar is pleased with stories of love. [...] And it is one of our many duties [...] to fulfil those needs. For what inspires love more than the threat of death? [...] The Bazaar does not accept stories of such synthetically created romance. It was all for naught.""''</ref>
==Mr Spices' Private Stash==
{{Major spoiler small}}
<blockquote>''"A quantity of a drug you haven't encountered before. You have only the rumours of where it comes from and what it might be."''<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Mr_Spices%27_Private_Stash|Mr Spices' Private Stash|Fallen London|}}</ref></blockquote>
[[File:honeyjar.png|thumb|A mysterious substance]]Mr Spices is in possession of a mysterious substance, a '''Private Stash''' that it does not sell.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Take_the_appointment|Take the appointment|Fallen London|}} ''"I'm told that is a substance that was stolen from Mr Spices, a new drug that he has developed but does not sell."''</ref> The drug has a soporific or calming effect on its consumers,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Complete_your_chemical_analysis_of_Mr_Spices%27_new_intoxicant|Complete your chemical analysis of Mr Spices' new intoxicant|Fallen London|}}''"The smell is soporific: one doesn't notice at first, but keep the jar open for long enough and everyone in your Laboratory wants to go to sleep."''</ref> and is known to be more effective on winged animals, including chiropterans (bats and their relatives).<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Work_with_your_Visionary_Student|Work with your Visionary Student|Fallen London|}} ''"They are able to show [...] that the drug has a stronger effect on bats [...] than on any of the other beasts in the laboratory. Moreover, it appears to differentially affect pregnant bats [...]"''</ref> However, the precise effect may vary based on the subject species; the [[Storm-Bird]] in particular seems to experience a stimulating effect instead of sedation, possibly due to its [[Parabolan]] origin.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Interference|Interference|Fallen London}} ''"It is hard to tell whether the Storm-bird is hungry or angry or sad. It comes away with some of the drug on the tip of its beak, but it doesn't seem as though its senses are dulled. If anything, it's invigorated."''</ref> The drug contains several exotic ingredients, and its composition bears distinctive hallmarks of [[F.F. Gebrandt]].<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Work_with_your_expert_student_(Visionary)|Work with your expert student (Visionary)|Fallen London|}} ''"Some of the ingredients are obscure, or have sources well beyond the Neath. One of these compounds is only available from across the Unterzee. Other elements, however, remind me of the work of FF Gebrandt. That chemist, or one of her disciples, contributed research to this brew. Though, considering the other ingredients, I doubt whether it was intended for human consumption."''</ref> Perhaps she or one of her disciples contributed research to its creation? Is she permitted to speak on the matter? How very mysterious.

Perhaps the most intriguing note on this substance is its effect on pregnant creatures; pregnant animals who consume this drug find their offspring stronger and healthier, and the runts of their litter are more likely to survive. Furthermore, their offspring also become quieter, calmer, and closer to their parent, leading to longer and more robust dreams.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Finish_your_experiment_with_Mr_Spices%27_Drug_and_reveal_the_truth_to_the_Dean|Finish your experiment with Mr Spices' Drug and reveal the truth to the Dean|Fallen London|}} ''"Pregnant animals find the drug soothing. It makes their offspring quieter, soothes the differences between parent and child. Runts of the litter survive longer after the birth. Both the born and the unborn dream longer and more deeply."''</ref>

All of this raises the question of why Mr Spices itself is a habitual consumer...

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