Editing Mr Veils

{{Major spoiler}}{{Character
|title1 = 
|image1 = MrVeils.png
|caption1 = Mr Veils
|location = [[Fallen London]]
|alias = Khan of Silks<br>
<font color="white"><span style="background-color: white">The Vake</span></font><br>
The Masquerader Saint
|relationships = [[Mr Wines]] (friend)<br>
<font color="red"><span style="background-color: red">Mr Eaten (betrayed)</span></font>
|allegiance = [[The Masters of the Bazaar]]<br>[[The Echo Bazaar]]
}}<blockquote>''"Mr Veils deals with clothing and fabric, and takes a close interest in the silk-weavers of [[Spite]]. But not in any of the more dubious activities in the district of Spite! The mere suggestion is slander!"''<ref name="sidebar">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Sidebar_Snippets#The_Masters_of_the_Bazaar|Sidebar Snippets: Who is Mr Veils?|Fallen London}}''"Mr Veils deals with clothing and fabric, and takes a close interest in the silk-weavers of Spite. But not in any of the more dubious activities in the district of Spite! The mere suggestion is slander!"''</ref></blockquote>'''Mr Veils''' is a rather belligerent and uncommunicative [[The Masters of the Bazaar|Master of the Bazaar]].

== Not the Kindest ==
<blockquote>''"A scream is just an imperfectly tuned song. And we all have a song in our hearts."''<ref>https://twitter.com/Mr_Veils/status/9698098222</ref></blockquote>Duplicitous and impatient, Mr Veils is best known for its enjoyment of hunts and songs, and is in charge of trade in clothing and fabrics.<ref name="sidebar" /> Zailors sometimes misattribute Mr Veils as being in charge of [[Mr Wines]]' ladies of the evening in their zee-zongs, likely due to the Parlour of Virtue's location in [[Veilgarden]].<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Sidebar_Snippets#Zee Sidebar Snippet: What do the zailors zing?, ''Fallen London''] ''"Oh gather round me bully boys/And I'll zing you a zong/Of the windless waveless sunless Zee/Where the mouldy drownies throng/Here's to the girls of Mr Veils/Here's to their golden locks/Here's to a fight in the moonish light/Under the Wolfstack docks./Some dream of sun and rain and sky/And the true wind in their zails/Us Neathy tars won’t swap the stars/For the girls of Mr Veils!"''</ref> 

Veils was known as the '''Khan of Silks''' during the time of the [[Fourth City]].<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Ask_her_to_help_with_ordinary_research_(April) Ask her to help with ordinary research (April), ''Fallen London''] ''"She writes down a few simple remarks. The place used to belong to the Khan of Silks, but Veils now neglects it, just as he rarely visits his other workshops. She thinks someone else may have the lease of it, and she has heard rumours of a factory. "Hot as the face of a Judgment" is what she writes. In the wrong hands, such power could be a threat to the Revolutionaries."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Throw_April%27s_Wrecker_in_the_mechanism|Throw April's Wrecker in the mechanism|Fallen London}}</ref> In the ''Sunless Skies'' timeline, it is called the '''Masquerader Saint''' by the [[Cult of the Sanctified]] at [[Avid Horizon]].<ref name="give an offering">{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.gamepedia.com/The_Jolly_Anchorite|Give an Offering|Sunless Skies}}''"The Jolly Anchorite rolls out the bombazine over a slab of pale stone. [...] "Captain, stay your hand, as I shall stay mine," he implores, not looking, as he raises the knife and brings it down in the cloth, just above your stoker's head. [...] "And there we have the Saint of Blades and the Masquerader Saint!""''</ref>
==A Bat of Many Faces==
<blockquote>''"Mr Veils stands. 'A book, about us? How very delightful. Have Pages send us a first edition.' It sweeps out silently."''<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Uncle_Archibald%27s_Legacy|Uncle Archibald's Legacy|Fallen London|}}</ref></blockquote>Like a respectable lady's petticoats and skirts, there are still more layers to this Master. '''[[The Vake]]''' is but one of its alter egos,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Untie_the_strings|Untie the strings|Fallen London}}''"Proof," says Mother Superior. "One of my nuns lost her life, tearing that off Mr Veils when he passed her in the street. She will be back, but it is awkward to do without her."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Uncle_Archibald%27s_Legacy|Uncle Archibald's Legacy|Fallen London}}''"Your dreams have shown you that Mr Veils and the Vake are the same... thing."''</ref> an identity Veils adopts to indulge its thirst for violence and bloodshed, kept away from the public eye.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Uncle_Archibald%27s_Legacy|Uncle Archibald's Legacy|Fallen London}}''"Mr Veils nods and says, 'Wisely done. Most wisely and prudently. Enjoy our gifts and forget our little pastime. Those in power must have their sport. And best it is kept from the lumpen eye of the public. It is our pleasure to do business with one so slathered in good sense.'"''</ref> It hardly matters if the truth slips out;<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Uncle_Archibald%27s_Legacy|Uncle Archibald's Legacy|Fallen London}}''"You tell Mr Veils exactly what you think of the Masters and their vices. It does not respond – no threats, no laughter, no bribes. You stare into the swallowing nothingness of its hood, but see no reaction." Mr Veils stands. 'A book, about us? How very delightful. Have Pages send us a first edition.' It sweeps out silently."''</ref> few in London would believe it anyway.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Uncle_Archibald%27s_Legacy|Uncle Archibald's Legacy|Fallen London}}''"The problem with London is that everyone and their rat is an academic and a writer. Fifty-three books of conspiracy and secrets were published in the last fortnight. The fact that yours is the only one of them that is entirely true doesn't seem to matter. Oh, they have a little symposium up at the University. Someone suggests that your metaphors are most insightful." "You tell them your tale. The Vake is a Master of the Bazaar. It hunts them for its sport, and the bounty is bait. You tell them of your dreams, and your confrontation with Mr Veils. They laugh. A pair of rugged sisters clap your back hard enough to leave a bruise. Jollity reigns once more."''</ref>

Across cities and ages, Mr Veils has worn many guises.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/And_then_there_are_three|And then there are three|Fallen London|}} ''"But then its huge and monstrous body explodes into many beings, as if it had been so many rats in a Veils-Velvet suit."''</ref><ref name=":0">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Consider_the_one_that_looks_like_a_beast|Consider the one that looks like a beast|Fallen London|}} ''"It has nothing left of the higher orders. It does not look like a Master, or like a human."''</ref> But sometime after the [[Fall of London]], this one took over. Veils' identity as a Master... dissolved into the background, really.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/And_then_there_are_three|And then there are three|Fallen London|}} ''"These die gasping. So does the one that looks like Mr Veils, in the dress of a Master of the Bazaar. It is as tall as you are, but it collapses inward, vacant."''</ref> This had almost no effect on its reputation in [[London]]; after all, it has always been cryptic, and no one will notice that anything has changed beneath its heavy cloak.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Stop_and_look_through_a_distracting_mirror_1|Stop and look through a distracting mirror 1|Fallen London}}''"As you watch, however, a second master – Mr Fires – works at the back of the Decoy Mr Veils. There is the sound of a crank turning, and a thud that sounds like a clay heart beating sluggishly. Then the false Mr Veils takes a seat behind the counter of the shop. It is ready to sell velvet scraps; or at least, to be present while a shop clerk takes care of such services as counting and change-making and speech."''</ref> The other Masters, however, did notice. [[Mr Fires]] arranged to lease one of Veils’ abandoned workshops, but since Veils has been increasingly indulgent in its bloody hobby rather than doing its job, Fires made a mechanical replica of Veils to mask its absence.<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Demand_an_explanation_for_the_replica_Mr_Veils Demand an explanation for the replica Mr Veils, ''Fallen London''] ''"It is almost a tradition," says Mr Fires. "When we lose one of our number." Fires stands looking at you. It is not trying to see you. It is, rather, contemplating its reflection in the form of Mr Veils. "We have gone such different ways," it says. "I remember when we were more alike. But then... you were always the Vake, at least a little. Not able to keep to the allowable times. Killing whenever it suited you. Not so coarse in your thinking, but vicious, even then."''</ref> [[Mr Wines]] has been forced to reconsider its friendship with Veils, troubled by its deepening bloodlust.<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Ambition:_Bag_a_Legend!_%E2%80%93_Sending_the_Vake_a_gift_via_Wines Ambition: Bag a Legend! – Sending the Vake a gift via Wines, ''Fallen London''] ''"So we have reached the end of the Vake's fall," Mr Wines says. "We wanted no part in this. But if the task falls to us, we will do it." It lifts its glass — wine, now, and none of your absinthe — and drinks it all. "We do this despite our old friendship. We do it because Veils has become an abomination. In exchange, we demand this: when such a choice stands before you, you will do the same. You will kill a friend, despite pity or fear or memory of what has been between you. Promise that, or else you are unworthy to put such a compulsion on us."''</ref>

At its core, despite all these masks, Mr Veils has three primary selves:

*'''Veils the Curator''' is the most primal and savage form of Mr Veils, desiring only to fly, hunt, and kill, showing itself most easily in the Vake as we know it.<ref name=":0" />
*'''Veils of the Third City''' was a feathered god-priest of blood,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Consider_the_one_in_the_feathered_robe|Consider the one in the feathered robe|Fallen London|}} ''"This one resembles those relics you have seen from the Third City: a headdress, a staff, garments suited to a warmer climate than London's. It wears a ring with the face of a jaguar."''</ref> who saw a special beauty in violent sacrifices and gory rituals.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Capture_Third_City_Veils|Capture Third City Veils|Fallen London|}} ''"THE OLD PRIEST-KINGS KNEW OUR KIND. WE WERE ALL GODS TO THEM. WE ALL ENTERED INTO THEIR BARGAIN. I ALONE SAW ITS BEAUTY."''</ref> It still lives, and it follows this crimson path to the end, to reckoning.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Prepare_a_weapon_of_vengeance|Prepare a weapon of vengeance|Fallen London|}} ''"Veils of the Third City is a fragment of the Vake once worshipped as a deity, a fragment that belongs to a particular date in the long count of years. Something happened then, something so important that it has remained an identity of Veils ever since."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Prepare_a_weapon_of_vengeance_using_the_knowledge_you_attained_at_the_greatest_price|Prepare a weapon of vengeance using the knowledge you attained at the greatest price|Fallen London|}} ''"Veils of the Third City is the Veils of the Well and the starving kings, the god and a betrayer, whose soul is anchored always to one particular date in the long count of years."''</ref> This version of Veils was not the only one responsible for a certain [[Mr Eaten|betrayal]] of which we will not speak, but it did lead the way.<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_price,_the_price,_the_price,_the_price,_the_price,_the_price,_the_price,_the_price,_the_price,_the_price,_the_price The price, the price, the price, the price, the price, the price, the price, the price, the price, the price, the price, ''Fallen London''] ''"They said – they called me by my name – I need only go up and the priests would take a little. The gratitude in their song! We embraced before I rose. You of cloth and shadow, you enemy, you proud-singer, you led the way. I will poison you with airs."''</ref><ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_hook_and_the_bait The hook and the bait, ''Fallen London''] ''"Is it opening, now, does it open? Are there snares we can grasp, to place them tinily in our flesh, as we will take the flesh of Vake-the-betrayer, black as the knives? Dear deep void those knives. My flesh was not meant for them... Ah, ah, ah, ah."''</ref>
*'''Veils the Intriguer''' is no less vicious than the other two, but stands as an outlier: it has no wings,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Consider_the_one_that_wears_Surface_clothing|Consider the one that wears Surface clothing|Fallen London|}} ''"Its robes are pinstriped and its face is almost human. It has no wings."''</ref> nor a hunger for blood...<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Consider_the_one_that_wears_Surface_clothing|Consider the one that wears Surface clothing|Fallen London|}} ''"This creature has certainly never bitten anyone, or stabbed anyone, or torn anyone apart with its claws; never sold the flesh of its enemies. All such matters have been accomplished with a pen and a legal document, and with a respectable deniability."''</ref> at least not directly.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Search_for_a_sign_of_your_enemy|Search for a sign of your enemy|Fallen London|}} ''"At first you cannot see anything that resembles the Veils of the Surface. There's violence, yes. Sacrifice for foolish reasons. Multitudinous death. But isn't that it, searching through the pile of bodies at the side of the board? What is it looking for? A souvenir? A snack?"''</ref> The Intriguer is a grand manipulator, a mastermind behind the chessboard.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Outflank_Surface_Veils|Outflank Surface Veils|Fallen London|}} ''"The intriguer Mr Veils is outlining what might be gained from the sale of Paris. It speaks of fabulous rewards: wealth and influence, immortality and the secrets of the stars, vengeance on enemies and the salvation of the beloved."''</ref> Its relative pacifism arises from the fact that the Vake's hunt for those who would seek to slay it has changed both its prey and the Vake itself, to become more like each other. Thus, in a way, the Intriguer is more ''human''. And that has baffling implications indeed.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Consider_sparing_one_form_of_the_Vake_out_of_fellow-feeling_1|Consider sparing one form of the Vake out of fellow-feeling 1|Fallen London|}} ''"It is a monster. So are you. There is no shame in this. But those who are not yet monsters struggle to understand."''</ref>
In the ''Sunless Skies'' timeline, Veils has completely reverted to the Curator version of itself.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/The_Last_Minute|Stay rooted in reality|Sunless Skies}} ''"The hunched shape continues to climb the chain, wings sweeping behind it. It meets your gaze with a furious glare. There is nothing behind those eyes except an intense and sincere desire to murder you and everyone you know."''</ref>

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