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| {{Character | | {{Uncited}} |
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| | ''"Pass the blade of the knife across your palm. Let the blood fall into the lacre. Something will arise: though it will not survive the winter."'' |
| Noman.png|A Noman
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| SnowChild.png|Another Noman
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| |relationships=[[The Echo Bazaar]] (creator)}}<blockquote>''"Pass the blade of the knife across your palm. Let the blood fall into the lacre. Something will arise: though it will not survive the winter."''<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Noman|The Noman|Fallen London|}}</ref></blockquote>'''Nomen''' are humanoid simulacra created from [[lacre]].
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| == Mistborn ==
| | [[File:Noman.png|thumb]] The Noman is a ghastly duplicate of oneself made of one's own blood mixed with lacre, <font color="white"><span style=" font-weight: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white"> the tears of the Bazaar.</span></span></font> |
| <blockquote>''"The present life of man, O king, seems to me like to the swift flight of a sparrow through the room wherein you sit at supper in winter, with your commanders and ministers, and a good fire in the midst, whilst the storms of rain and snow prevail abroad; the sparrow, I say, flying in at one door, and immediately out at another, whilst he is within, is safe from the wintry storm; but after a short space of fair weather, he immediately vanishes out of your sight, into the dark winter from which he had emerged."<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Noman|Noman|Fallen London|}}</ref>''</blockquote>The ritual to create a Noman involves mingling human blood with a sufficient quantity of [[lacre]].<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Noman|The Noman|Fallen London|}}''"Pass the blade of the knife across your palm. Let the blood fall into the lacre. Something will arise: though it will not survive the winter."''</ref> The resulting entity takes on the appearance and memories of its creator.{{Fact}} To create the proper conditions, this must be done either at the [[The Echo Bazaar|Bazaar's]] lacre pits or another sufficiently cold place, like the [[The Avid Horizon|Avid Horizon]].<ref name=":3">{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/Heart_of_Snow|Heart of Snow|Sunless Sea|}}''"The chill of Avid Horizon runs deep [...], but even such primal cold cannot last forever."''</ref> At [[Christmas]], Nomen can also emerge naturally from the lacre pits,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Incarnadine_Fur_Robe|Mr Sacks|Fallen London|}}''"You inch forward, until you reach the end of the tunnel. Beyond, a crowd of faces, smiling to greet you. But the faces bob and roil in a vast sea of lacre. They shift, disintegrate, commingle; some are human, some are entirely not; but the smiles remain. Just below you, there is a ripple. A man rises from the lacre, fully formed from the snow: improbably tall and impossibly handsome, like Michaelangelo's David come to life. And as it reaches you, it plunges a hand into its chest and removes a small burlap sack; it drops it into your hand, and melts entirely into a perfectly formed puddle at your feet."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Wish_him_a_merry_Christmas|Wish him a merry Christmas|Fallen London|}}''"The lacre's always thick, this time of year. She feels her loneliness, I think." He sighs, and pats the wall fondly. "But it's rare for the nomen to rise. […] this year and the last, they've been rising like dough. What will come, eh? What will come."''</ref> but most of these specimens dissipate and fall back into the lacre.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Search_the_shore|Search the shore|Fallen London|}}''"The tide surges then ebbs, rivulets of lacre scrabbling at the shore-stones like fingers. Wait... they are fingers! Milky, globular, and frantic. Behind them, undulating backs push from the waves. They lift lacre faces – half-formed and grief-struck, their eyes only bubbling pits and their mouths pouring. They scream. The tide reclaims them. They collapse into hissing lacre-foam and are dragged back into the reservoirs. It was a spirited attempt to be born, but it failed."''</ref> A Noman can be made from the physical remains of a deceased person,<ref>[https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/In_the_Service_of_Mr_Sacks The Third Delivery, ''Sunless Sea''] ''"Mr Sacks is staring at a small wooden box as you enter the hold. Inside, wrapped in a few pitiful scraps of velvet, is a lock of blonde hair and a set of teeth. Carefully polished. Barely used. “The winter was harsh. The fire went cold. Later, the mother wished to forget. A convenient tragedy.”"''</ref> by burying them in lacre-snow<ref name=":0">{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/Service_at_Avid_Horizon|Service at Avid Horizon|Sunless Sea|}}''"As soon as you dock, Mr Sacks lumbers ashore. It has been preparing for this. Plunging a hand into its cloak, it removes a handful of ammonia-scented snow. It places it on the ground and adds another on the top. Into this one it presses the teeth and the hair from the small box. Potential. Substance. [...]"''</ref> and proceeding with the same bloodletting ritual;<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/Service_at_Avid_Horizon|Service at Avid Horizon|Sunless Sea|}}''"You nick your hand with a blade and hold it above the frozen mound. A drop wells up and falls. More follow. They fizz in the lacre, which softens and melts into a puddle of snow; a puddle from which a hand emerges. Then a head. Then another hand; stretching as it clambers up from nowhere. The shape of a child [...]"''</ref> the Noman born from this process retains the memories of the deceased.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/The_Snow_Child_(event)|Ask the Snow Child about home|Sunless Sea|}}''"London? London! Yes! I wanted to play on the roof-tops, but it made mother cry. She cries a lot, but she says it's not my fault. She'll be worried. Wait - you're not a devil are you? Mother says to look out for devils." It gives you a suspicious sniff. "No. No eggy smell. You can take me back, right? I've always wanted to go zailing."''</ref> Since lacre is made of the tears of the [[Echo Bazaar]], technically the Bazaar is responsible for the creation of Nomen,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/%22You_authored_me._But_the_Bazaar_made_me.%22|"You authored me. But the Bazaar made me."|Fallen London|}}''(source in storylet title)''</ref> breaking several cosmic laws in the process.<ref name=":2">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Sense_of_an_Ending|The Sense of an Ending|Fallen London|}}''"Its eyes are bright. "I'm misborn," it says, as the dissolution begins. "You're sitting pretty. The Bazaar broke a law or two in making me, yes it did, but I wouldn't have lasted this long unless you had a foot snared in the Great Chain... I'll be free, very soon." (Its words are becoming harder to understand.) "You'll be tempted. Don't trust the Bazaar. Don't feel sorry for it. Love is a demand, not a solution. The Chain may go up to the stars, but it prisons us all. The Liberation of Night...""''</ref> The Bazaar can apparently use Nomen as its avatars to interact with smaller beings.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Arrange_for_the_Bazaar_to_send_a_Christmas_Card_to_an_Acquaintance_(100_FATE)|Arrange for the Bazaar to send a Christmas Card to an Acquaintance|Fallen London|}}''"[...] A pale and shining hand extends the card for your inspection. There is a whiff of ammonia. "ALL SHALL BE WELL, [...] AND ALL MANNER OF THING SHALL BE WELL. THE LACRES FLOW AGAIN THRO' THEIR CHANNELS, AND ALL THE GROWTHS ARE GREEN."[...] The hand retracts: the door closes. Deep in the tumbled coils of the Bazaar, something sighs in tectonic satisfaction."''</ref>
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| Nomen are as white as lacre, with hollow pits for eyes,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Noman|The Noman|Fallen London|}}''"It is pale, and its eyes are shadowed pits. When first it clambers from the lacre, it is as barely formed and inviting to the touch as snow new-fallen on the corner of a wall. But second by second, it looks more and more like you. When it looks up and smiles, its face is your own, albeit snow-coloured and fragile. [...]"''</ref> and cold, smooth, waxy skin that has full sensation.<ref name=":1">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/%22Help_me._Please.%22|"Help me. Please."|Fallen London|}}''"You assist it in restoring patches of milky, deliquescent flesh. The texture of its body is tallowy and smooth: chilly to the touch. It seems embarrassed. "Not there," it says. "I'm, ah, sensitive, there. But thank you.""''</ref> Under certain circumstances, they may pass for particularly pale humans.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/%22Let%27s_go_out_drinking.%22|"Let's go out drinking."|Fallen London|}}''"[...] Your noman explains your mutual resemblance: it's your occasional cousin from the Surface."''</ref> They do not tire from exertion,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/%22Let%27s_go_shopping.%22|"Let's go shopping."|Fallen London|}}''"You climb well, but the noman climbs like a barometer: steadily, tirelessly, irresistibly. [...]"''</ref> and are seemingly immune to the effects of alcohol, but if they consume wine their body will be stained pink by the liquid.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/%22Let%27s_go_out_drinking.%22|"Let's go out drinking."|Fallen London|}}''"You've never seen your noman drunk. Although when it consumes red wine, its whole body flushes faintly pink."''</ref> Nomen have full awareness of how they were created<ref name=":2" /> and are prone to the occasional bouts of melancholy.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Noman%27s_Progress|Noman's Progress|Fallen London|}}''"Your lacre-spawned alter-ego is prone to moodiness and long periods of silence. But today it's in a conversational mood."''</ref>
| | {| class="article-table mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" data-expandtext="show" data-collapsetext="hide" width=100% |
| | | !colspan=3|[[File:mistersacks.png|50px]] Mr Sacks... |
| All Nomen are doomed to melt after a time.<ref name=":3" /> Despite their apparently infinite physical capacity, they do require sleep, and melt more rapidly while unconscious.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/Heart_of_Snow|The Snow Child is melting|Sunless Sea|}}''"The crew packs [the] bed with ice, hoping to hold it together as it sleeps. The melting is at its worst, then."''</ref> A melting Noman melts... well, like a snowman, but also begins to lose its memories;<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/An_Incident:_Watch_Millicent_tattoo_a_pale_visitor|An Incident: Watch Millicent tattoo a pale visitor|Fallen London|}}''"The visitor sits. Its face is marred by asymmetry; one cheekbone has slumped lower than the other. "I'm starting to forget things. What good is time if I can't remember it?""''</ref> this can be delayed by providing the Noman with lacre through various means.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Give_sustenance_to_the_Noman|Give sustenance to the Noman|Fallen London|}}''"This may give it strength... but its effect will be unpredictable."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/%22Help_me._I_beg_you.%22|"Help me. I beg you."|Fallen London|}}''"You whisper in its ear: words the sea spoke on its pebbled shores, beneath Penstock's, beneath the Bazaar. It relaxes at the touch of your breath. "The waves," it says. "The waves...""''</ref> A Noman implanted with a [[heartmetal]] heart and the knowledge of a grudge may be anchored by the bitter emotions, preserving it indefinitely<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/Iron_Republic|Seek help for Sacks and Snow: The Snow Child's Name|Sunless Sea|}}''"[...] Ice must melt and snow must thaw, but nothing lingers quite like a good, hard grudge. [...] The devil whispers something not for your ears. The Snow Child's face fills with captivated horror. The devil smiles. "Just so! Now, to hold it in place, I recommend... oh, what do you call it? Heartmetal. [...]""''</ref> and even allowing it to heal any damage done to it.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/Inside_the_Little_Gate|Find assistance for the Snow Child|Sunless Sea|}}''"Fitting the heart is an unpleasant matter for all concerned, but what must be done is soon finished. At first, nothing seems to have happened. Soon, though, the drips stop. The wound heals. [...]"''</ref>
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| | | |...is a noman. Actually, several nomen, one for each [[The Masters of the Bazaar|Master]]. |
| == Special Nomen ==
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| {{Major spoiler small}}
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| There are some Nomen that are different from others of their kind:
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| * The original '''[[Mr Sacks]]''' is said to have been the first Noman. His replacements, made from the blood of the [[Masters]], took over his position when he disappeared one [[Christmas]].
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| * '''The Lacreous Astronomer''' is half human and half Noman. She was originally a human from the [[The First City|First City]], but was infused with a vast quantity of [[lacre]] by [[Mr Apples]] in one of its immortality experiments.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Inheritance|Inheritance|Fallen London|}}''"The creature grinds a mountain into you and drowns you in memory-snow until you are filled with the sadness of the whole city."''</ref> Curiously, she can have children, and her progeny are consequently not fully human.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Inheritance|Inheritance|Fallen London|}}''"You still look human, for now. You find work. A husband. A kind man who asks no questions. He is unsurprised when you have a child, though you thought it impossible. You cannot tell him that your daughter is not fully human, that you are hardly human at all. Years later, you collapse. The part of you that is lacre is melting at last. There is but one thing that will revive you. You can not ask for it, but your daughter knows"''</ref> She requires the blood of her descendants to sustain herself.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Inheritance|Inheritance|Fallen London|}}''""The fact that your children's blood would be forever required by a shivelled old woman" says the Lacreous Astronomer, gently. [...]"''</ref>
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| == References ==
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| [[Category:Creatures]] | | [[Category:Creatures]] |
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