Sophia

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"She has given her clay man confidante the slip, tonight. She studies your face closely, her eyes green behind her spectacles. 'You are what you say you are, aren't you? I've had my fill of monsters.'"[1]

Sophia Kincaid is an accomplished Officer of the Department of Menace Eradication and, in her spare time, the founder and leader of a club devoted to hunting monsters.

She Who Hunts Monsters[edit | edit source]

"The lady in the sensible green dress and the sensible black shoes rounds the corner of Lacewhisper Street at foolhardy speed. The collision knocks you both to the ground, where a strand of her auburn hair tickles your cheek. "Sorry," she says, scrambling up. "Can't stop. Monsters." She rushes off. In her haste, she has forgotten her umbrella. Department-issue. The label reads: 'Property of the D.M.E., allocated to licensed Eradication Officer 442-A: Kincaid, Sophia'."[2]

Sophia is a young woman with green eyes behind a pair of spectacles,[3] auburn hair, a preference for a green dress with black shoes, and rarely seen without her Department-issued umbrella.[4] Tirelessly pursuing dangerous quarry, she lives for the thrill of the hunt.[5] A veteran monster-hunter, her knowledge of monstrous anatomy is among the most extensive in London.[6]

Soap, the Restless Clay Man.

Sophia is a licensed Eradication Officer (Code 442/A) with the Department of Menace Eradication. Her long-time partner is Soap, a Clay Man and fellow licensed Officer (Code 467/C), who accompanies her on many hunts.[7] He wears an overcoat,[8] and although he appears to be a typical Clay Man, Soap insists he is Unfinished.[9] The two have known each other for over a decade,[10] and Sophia seems to have played a role in freeing Soap from the services of Mr Fires.[11][12] One of their adventures is chronicled in the official Fallen London comic A Pinch of Snuff.

When not engaged in the Eradication of Menaces, Sophia oversees a club of the same pursuit.[13][14] Her vision for the club is one defined not by wealth or exclusivity but by the quality of the work its members accomplish.[15]

Sophia's[edit | edit source]

"Sophia's is a private club catering to the monster-hunters who find London's other clubs soporific. The dinners are hearty, the conversation robust. You may pursue joining the Club at the Bazaar Side-streets."[16]

The Dauntless Temperance Campaigner

Sophia's offers a lively haven for monster-hunters who find other London establishments too dull. Over tea and biscuits, members debate politics, recount their most recent hunts, and generally arm themselves for whatever danger comes next.[17][18] Most are heavily armed at all times, and the club maintains a well-stocked armory in its basement.[19] Prospective applicants may contribute supplies to this armory to earn an invitation.[20]

Another path to membership is through aiding the club's charitable endeavors spearheaded by the Dauntless Temperance Campaigner,[21] which provides relief to the underclasses of London.[22][23] The club also hosts seminars featuring guest experts on a variety of political, martial and monstrous matters.[24]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ A Monster-Hunting Academic, Fallen London
  2. ↑ A Monster-Hunting Academic, Fallen London
  3. ↑ A Monster-Hunting Academic, Fallen London "She has given her clay man confidante the slip, tonight. She studies your face closely, her eyes green behind her spectacles. 'You are what you say you are, aren't you? I've had my fill of monsters."
  4. ↑ A Monster-Hunting Academic, Fallen London "The lady in the sensible green dress and the sensible black shoes rounds the corner of Lacewhisper Street at foolhardy speed. The collision knocks you both to the ground, where a strand of her auburn hair tickles your cheek. "Sorry," she says, scrambling up. "Can't stop. Monsters." She rushes off. In her haste, she has forgotten her umbrella. Department-issue. The label reads: 'Property of the D.M.E., allocated to licensed Eradication Officer 442-A: Kincaid, Sophia'."
  5. ↑ A Monster-Hunting Academic, Fallen London "'My duties leave me with few free evenings,' she writes, 'but allow plenty of time for letters while I loiter in nasty corners of the city and hope that something with a bounty on its head will try to devour me. We are still hunting the heart-catcher that I was pursuing when you and I had our fortunate collision...'"
  6. ↑ Enlist qualified assistance, Fallen London "Sophia arrives with five flensing knives, wolfhide gloves and a noxious spray she insists on dusting every surface with before she'll handle a single volume. "I know what lurks between pages," she says by way of explanation."
  7. ↑ Comic pg 5, Failbetter Games "Sophia: Contracted eradication officers 442/A and 467/C, depositing one Snuffer. We'd like to collect our fee."
  8. ↑ A Restless Clay Man, Fallen London "A clay man sits outside a potter's shop. He removes a torn overcoat. Underneath, his clay flesh is gouged with recent wounds. Scooping a handful of fresh clay in one clumsy hand, he tries to smear it over them."
  9. ↑ A Restless Clay Man, Fallen London "His fingers and toes are all accounted for. His face - looming and stately as a cathedral - has the correct arrangement of eyes, mouth and nose. His slouch is only habitual. And yet he insists he is Unfinished."
  10. ↑ Comic pg 1, Failbetter Games "New Newgate Prison, Fallen London, 1891"
  11. ↑ Comic pg 5, Failbetter Games "Soap: HOW MUCH DO WE HAVE NOW? Sophia: Eight hundred and forty three echoes. And...sixpence. Soap: NOT ENOUGH. I AM SORRY, SOPHIA. Sophia: Not to worry...there are always more monsters."
  12. ↑ Even the odds in a clay dispute (5 FATE), Fallen London "They shove Soap into a half-finished tunnel. You slip in behind them. Jasper and Frank fill the shaft like a landslide. You'll need something to even the odds. "You ain't bein' very friendly, Soap," says Jasper [...] "Didn't we come across on the same boat? Stacked up on top of each other, we was. Me in the crate on top. Frank on the bottom. You in between, all snug." "OUR ASSOCIATION IS AT AN END," Soap says. He tries to push past them. Frank shoulders him back into the wall. [...] Jasper sighs. "We miss you, Soap. Remember the Mahogany 'all job? The Cotterell and 'athersage factory? Good old Virgil (may he rest in fragments)? There's too much between us, Soap. Fires 'as a job in mind, but it'll take three, see? You've 'ad your leave of absence. Now it's time to get back to work.""
  13. ↑ Rely on your acquaintance with Sophia herself, Fallen London "You have had many a cup of tea with the founder of the Club."
  14. ↑ Enlist qualified assistance, Fallen London "Sophia arrives with five flensing knives, wolfhide gloves and a noxious spray she insists on dusting every surface with before she'll handle a single volume. "I know what lurks between pages," she says by way of explanation."
  15. ↑ Rely on your acquaintance with Sophia herself, Fallen London "Sophia has often told you what she hopes for the club: a place distinguished by the work accomplished by its members, rather than by cost or exclusiveness."
  16. ↑ Acquainted with Sophia's, Fallen London
  17. ↑ Sophia's, Fallen London "The club's Long Parlour is a place for knitting, tea, political argument, and showing off the head of one's latest kill."
  18. ↑ Acquainted with Sophia's, Fallen London "Sophia's is a private club catering to the monster-hunters who find London's other clubs soporific. The dinners are hearty, the conversation robust. You may pursue joining the Club at the Bazaar Side-streets."
  19. ↑ Contribute to the club's monster-hunting supplies, Fallen London "Weapons. Bandages. Medicine. Club members go through these at pace."
  20. ↑ Contribute to the club's monster-hunting supplies, Fallen London "Most of the more active members have their own weapons, of course. But for training, emergencies, or group actions, there is a locked room in the basement of the club for the weapons. You will fit right in here."
  21. ↑ Contribute to another member's charitable effort, Fallen London ""What would they do without us?" remarks the Dauntless Temperance Campaigner. […] "Survive some way or other," replies her companion […] By the time you've assisted in the distribution effort, you are known to most of the Club's most active members."
  22. ↑ Contribute to another member's charitable effort, Fallen London "A long-standing member is collecting food to distribute to the families of workers killed in a factory explosion. You may contribute in place of joining dues."
  23. ↑ Rely on your acquaintance with Sophia herself, Fallen London "You hint to her that you'd be glad of a chance to address the membership. She agrees that someone of your extraordinary history would have much worth hearing. A few days later you find yourself behind a podium, speaking to three dozen intent club members. One of them is knitting scarves for Urchins the entire time you are speaking."
  24. ↑ Among the Monster-Hunting Academics, Fallen London "Sophia's club supplies its members with tea, crochet hooks, and practical tips on disemboweling a leviathan.[…] not precisely a political club […] But it attracts reformers […] One of their scheduled speakers has fallen ill. Would you take her place?"
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