The Bandaged Poissonnier

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"To be edible, is to be possible to be consumed. And to be living, is to consume. Thus we find that the nature of the unliving is to be consumed. In fact, therefore, anything that is not living may be consumed - "[1]

The Bandaged Poissonnier is a tomb-colonist and skilled chef.

The MasterChef[edit | edit source]

"He has an ambition for fish. A great ambition."[2]

The Bandaged Poissonnier is a mustachioed tomb-colonist with a passion for cooking.[3] He owns a restaurant in Venderbight called The Vengeance of Jonah,[4] which has a reputation for pushing the boundaries of edibility.[5] He also cooks for restaurants in London,[6] such as Mallerby's in Veilgarden.[7]

A fork and knife.
Hungry?

The Poissonnier's views on food are eccentric: he believes that anything nonliving can be consumed.[8] His ingredients are outlandish, ranging from a peligin paste[9] to spices from Parabola.[10] He can reverse-engineer dishes through experiments to enumerate their ingredients and preparation,[11][12] and he may use unusual methods for preparing meals; one dish requires boiling meats in the creature's own venom.[13] He also designs his own kitchen appliances that make his craft appear more alchemical than culinary, including braising-alembics,[14] athanor-stoves,[15] and jugging-crucibles.[16]

The Poissonnier hopes to discover the Seventh Sensation, "the taste that one tastes with the heart."[17] In pursuit of this goal, he has already discovered seven pleasant, seven unpleasant, and seven neutral flavors.[18] His ultimate ambition[19] is to serve his magnum opus, the Seventh Miracle,[20] to the Fathomking and his court.[21][22] This seven-course feast would replicate the feeling of drowning, though the Fathomking would describe it as as "love."[23] Despite all his talents, however, the Poissonnier feels his skills have diminished with age.[24]

The Price of High Demand[edit | edit source]

Spoilers ahead: May include midgame or minor Fate-locked content.

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"I've given everything for my art. Should I not be proud? Above, I served the royalty of Europe. Below, I cooked for the Empress' children, until they began to prefer their food raw. Or alive. I fed the Khan! A pleasure – before he demanded horse curds in every dish. I bore it. But when my whipped jillyfleur was sent back, I told him to stuff himself full of his precious curds. I left Khan's Heart that night; first boat out. Not even a goodbye to my wife or child."[25]

"Captain, a word of advice: do not divide yourself. Learn what matters to you. Pursue it avidly. It is kinder not to give in the first place, than it is to take back what you have given."[26]

A city of canals and lights.
Khan's Heart

The Poissonnier spent his early days on the Surface, where he served the royals of Europe. After the Fall of London, he served meals for the Empress' children, until their tastes grew grotesque.[27] The Poissonnier then departed for the Khanate and worked for the Khan himself.[27] He married the niece of a Taimen Clan official,[28] and the couple had a son.[29]

Eventually, the Poissonnier grew exhausted with the Khan's taste for horse milk curds. When his jillyfleur dish was rejected, he insulted the Khan and fled the Khanate without saying goodbye to his family.[30] Despite his dedication towards his craft,[31] the Poissonnier misses his wife and son. He still feels the weight of his decision, and sometimes returns to the Khanate to observe their lives from a distance.[29][32]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Culinary philosophies, Sunless Sea
  2. ↑ Character description, Sunless Sea
  3. ↑ Visit a certain little restaurant, Sunless Sea "A beefy tomb-colonist bustles up. A grey moustache pokes impertinently out from under his bandages. "Come in, come in!""
  4. ↑ Sample today's special, Sunless Sea "The Bandaged Poissonnier, owner of the Vengeance of Jonah [...]"
  5. ↑ Offer a Strange Catch, Sunless Sea "The Vengeance of Jonah is liberal in its approach to edibility."
  6. ↑ Collect a Confession from the Bandaged Poissonnier, Fallen London "Today, you will visit an unassuming restaurant filled with reverent diners. In the kitchen, the Bandaged Poissonnier debones and fillets fish."
  7. ↑ "Fish! Who'll buy my fine blind fish?", Fallen London "The Poissonnier's bandages look vaguely familiar. "Yes," he admits, "I cook for Mallerby's, in Veilgarden.""
  8. ↑ Increase your Hearts, Sunless Sea "To be edible, is to be possible to be consumed. And to be living, is to consume. Thus we find that the nature of the unliving is to be consumed. In fact, therefore, anything that is not living may be consumed - "
  9. ↑ A hurried interview, Fallen London "He daubs the headless fish with a peligin paste [...]"
  10. ↑ Sample today's special, Sunless Sea "Perhaps the Vengeance of Jonah has been purchasing their spices from behind mirrors again..."
  11. ↑ Find someone to teach secrets of butchery to the Bandaged Poissonnier, Sunless Sea "Its composition is a secret, but anything that can be combined can be separated again, with the right equipment."
  12. ↑ He pokes his head from the galley, Sunless Sea "I am victorious! The zzoup defied me, but I have broken it. Chanterelles from some soggy edge of London. Pig stock. A feisty dash of paprika. Lament-onions. Petals from the exile's rose, which grows in Hell. And tears! [...] The method of the ingredients' combination is singular."
  13. ↑ Offer a Strange Catch, Sunless Sea "Certain of the organs may be consumed only if boiled in the beast's own venom."
  14. ↑ Recruit the Bandaged Poissonnier, Sunless Sea "You there! Sailor! Careful with the braising-alembic! It's worth more than your wretched soul."
  15. ↑ Hand over a Strange Catch for his culinary masterpiece, Sunless Sea "The flesh goes onto his shipboard athanor-stove: an edifice of his own invention that combines the functions of roasting and refinement."
  16. ↑ He pokes his head from the galley, Sunless Sea "Day and night his jugging-crucible blazes."
  17. ↑ Recruit the Bandaged Poissonnier, Sunless Sea "We will discover the Seventh Sensation, you and I. The taste that one tastes with the heart."
  18. ↑ Sample today's special, Sunless Sea "The Bandaged Poissonnier, owner of the Vengeance of Jonah, has identified seven flavours which are pleasant, seven which are unpleasant, and seven which are neither."
  19. ↑ Dine with the Ba-, Sunless Sea "But there is one for whom I have not cooked. A creature of singular and acroamatic tastes. I want to make him marvel! [...] this would be my philosopher's stone. My immortality."
  20. ↑ Attend the Poissonnier's feast, Sunless Sea "The Seventh Miracle"
  21. ↑ Deliver a Colossal Fluke-Core to the galley, Sunless Sea "Zail for the Fathomking's Hold, my captain! I will begin my work."
  22. ↑ Attend the Poissonnier's feast, Sunless Sea "The Drownie court [...] populate a table of carved coral. The Poissonnier claps his hands. Your crew scurry in with steaming plates."
  23. ↑ Attend the Poissonnier's feast, Sunless Sea "There are seven courses, each named. [...] "It was not drowning," the Fathomking says, his baritone rolling over their babble. "It was love.""
  24. ↑ Dine with the Ba-, Sunless Sea "Look at me. I am not at my best, no? Believe me, your appetite would not be so strong if I removed my bandages. How long before my fingers fail? Or my tongue pickles?"
  25. ↑ A hurried interview, Fallen London
  26. ↑ Allow him his privacy, Sunless Sea
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 A hurried interview, Fallen London "Above, I served the royalty of Europe. Below, I cooked for the Empress' children, until they began to prefer their food raw. Or alive. I fed the Khan! [...] I left Khan's Heart that night; [...]"
  28. ↑ Betray the Bandaged Poissonnier's trust, Fallen London "If he thinks he can boast about abandoning my niece—" [....] "I – and the Taimen – appreciate your confidence in me [...]"
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 Follow him in secret, Sunless Sea "The Poissonnier peers through a narrow window, where a woman and a young man bicker over noodles. The woman's hair is beginning to grey; the young man has narrow cheeks and dark, sullen eyes. [...] The Poissonnier notices you, [...] His voice is stiff. [...] You return in silence; he refuses to answer questions."
  30. ↑ A hurried interview, Fallen London ""I fed the Khan!" [...] "A pleasure – before he demanded horse curds in every dish. I bore it. But when my whipped jillyfleur was sent back, I told him to stuff himself full of his precious curds. I left Khan's Heart that night; [...] Not even a goodbye to my wife or child.""
  31. ↑ A hurried interview, Fallen London ""I've given everything for my art. Should I not be proud?""
  32. ↑ Allow him his privacy, Sunless Sea "Captain, a word of advice: do not divide yourself. Learn what matters to you. Pursue it avidly. It is kinder not to give in the first place, than it is to take back what you have given."
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