Editing The Dawn Machine

{{dawn spoiler}}

{{Character|image1 = dawnmachinegaz.png|caption1 = —UN. THE SUN. THE SUN. THE SUN. THE S—|location = The Barnsmore Gap|allegiance = [[The New Sequence]]|relationships = [[Clockwork Sun|The Clockwork Sun]] (counterpart)}}<blockquote>''"A light grows in the far south-west. It begins like a distant bonfire, but very rapidly, it becomes brighter, brighter. It looks remarkably like sunrise. Some of your crew fall to their knees: others duck behind cover or shield their eyes."''<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/Auroral_Rupture#Event_description|Event description|Sunless Sea}}</ref></blockquote>The '''Dawn Machine''' is an artificial [[Judgement]] which lies in the southwest corner of the [[Unterzee]], within the Barnesmore Gap.

<blockquote>''"The radiance to the south-west is white-gold like a Surface morning. There is warmth on your face. Your eyes water. Your skin stings and tingles. You catch a glimpse of geometries in the heart of it - complex faceted shapes that reconfigure like the wheels of an orrery -"''<ref name="look into light">{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/Auroral_Rupture#Interactions|Look into the light|Sunless Sea}}</ref></blockquote>A mess of elliptical rings, transformative light, and burning [[Correspondence]] sigils, the Dawn Machine is an enigmatic and malicious creation. The machine’s construction was led by [[June]] of the [[Calendar Council]];<ref>{{Citation|https://www.failbettergames.com/the-mysteries-revealed-again/|Who was the original architect of the Dawn Machine?|Failbetter Games}}''"June of the Calendar Council"''</ref> its originally intended purpose is unclear.

Over time, the machine developed a will of its own and began to take control, brainwashing much of the [[Royal Navy]].<ref name=":0">{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/Grand_Geode|Grand Geode|Sunless Sea}} ''"A naval base, with the Royal Navy's emblems, curiously amended. Efficient, bright-eyed women and men work briskly, everywhere you look. They are singing [...] Hard-faced Royal Marines watch you carefully [...] A plaque by the docks has been defaced with orange paint, but you can still make out the original inscription: 'STATION V (ADJUNCT)'."''</ref> These were the first members of the '''[[New Sequence]]''', a group dedicated to spreading the Dawn Machine’s influence across the Neath.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/The_Dark-Spectacled_Admiral|Sell the Memento Mori to the Royal Navy|Sunless Sea}}''"I wish I could reward you better than this, but the New Sequence strangles us like ivy. Thank you. You are a true patriot."''</ref><ref name="consult admiral">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Consult_the_Optimistic_Vice-Admiral|Consult the Optimistic Vice-Admiral|Fallen London}}''"The Vice-Admiral gazes at a map of the Upper River and smiles. "We will spread across it all, in time. The dawn knows no horizon.""''</ref> This group is based in the [[Grand Geode]], a former [[Admiralty]] outpost;<ref name=":0" /> the Machine is located behind the Geode, blocking the passage to the southwestern corner of the zee. Zailing beyond this point brings a foolish traveler into the Machine’s realm, where its influence is law.<ref name="unborn time">{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/Unborn_time|Story description|Sunless Sea}}</ref>

<blockquote>''"Light sheets over you. Your hair crackles as if a storm were rising. You squint your eyes shut, but the radiance around you is bright enough that you see the pink of your eyelids..."''<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/Auroral_Rupture#Interactions|Look around you, but not directly at the light|Sunless Sea}}</ref></blockquote>The Dawn Machine’s light does not outright kill those it touches, like true [[sunlight]] can, but its effects are far more sinister.  

When felt from a distance on the skin or seen by the eye, the light of the Dawn Machine causes a sense of discomfort and a sense that something is viscerally wrong. More direct or concentrated light can cause memory loss and make the viewer more suggestible.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/Grand_Geode|Ask to speak with someone in authority|Sunless Sea}} ''"You saw the Commodore, and then - then there was something bright. You discussed matters of importance. You're certain of it. Teasing clues linger in your memory. A zailor asked to stay behind, and you permitted it, because - because -  It'll all come clear later. Probably."''</ref><ref name="false memories">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Icarian_Cup_(Story)|The Icarian Cup (Story)|Fallen London}} ''"After that, your memories are awash with warmth and light. [...] Something is wrong. Those thoughts weren't yours!"''</ref> Close proximity to the Dawn Machine or its offshoots for extended periods of time causes a victim to become dazzled,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Icarian_Cup_(Story)|The Icarian Cup (Story)|Fallen London}} ''"[...] dull light throbbing in your [...] skull, [...] you understand. [...] Joy fills you, and a hymn springs unbidden to your lips."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/Auroral_Rupture|Look into the light|Sunless Sea}} ''"There is warmth on your face. Your eyes water. Your skin stings and tingles. You catch a glimpse of geometries in the heart of it - complex faceted shapes that reconfigure like the wheels of an orrery - "''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/An_Exceptional_Story:_The_Stag_and_the_Shark|An Exceptional Story: The Stag and the Shark|Fallen London}} ''"[...] a corona of light appears around its perimeter [...] Something pulses behind your eyes. [...] you close them, you see only light."''</ref> undergoing the physical and mental changes that can permanently turn them into a member of the [[New Sequence]].<ref name="dawn's fingers">{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/Unborn_time|Dawn's fingers|Sunless Sea}}''"We found you drifting," the Sequencer is saying. You blink. He slaps you on the shoulder. "You were blessed, my friend. Welcome home."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/Unborn_time|Unborn time|Sunless Sea}} ''"The Dawn Machine's roots extend here, into a luminous, impossible space. You breathe gold. You think light."''</ref>

'''Elements of Dawn''', which are mere pieces of the Machine,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Element_of_Dawn|Element of Dawn|Fallen London}}</ref> emit the same hypnotizing light.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/The_Corridors_of_Frostfound#Story_description|Cross the bridge (2)|Sunless Sea}}</ref> Some creatures that have been overwhelmingly influenced by the Machine’s light, such as [[Flukes#Dawn Flukes|Dawn Flukes]], can generate and emit this light on their own.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/Dawn_Fluke|Send some of your crew to harvest the Fluke|Sunless Sea}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/Dawn_Fluke|Fetch a piece of the fluke to study|Sunless Sea}}</ref>

<blockquote>''"Worm-fates crawl on your skin. The Machine is sick. Its hatred threads your veins. Time will die. The Chain will end."''<ref name="unborn time" /></blockquote>The Dawn Machine’s original purpose under the [[Admiralty]] and [[June]] is still a mystery; it might even be working exactly as intended. Regardless, the Machine has shown a will of its own and a disturbing number of unnaturally powerful abilities.

It seems that the Dawn Machine now aims to destroy the hierarchy of the [[Judgements]] entirely, and replace it with a system of its own.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/Unborn_time|Dawn's fingers|Sunless Sea}} ''"Worm-fates crawl on your skin. The Machine is sick. Its hatred threads your veins. Time will die. The Chain will end."''</ref> It wishes for time to die and the Great Chain to end, and to implement a new system of reality - thus, a New Sequence. It is an enemy of the [[Bazaar]], and seeks to restrict its power as one of the first steps to a full implementation of its ideals. It is also willing to help subvert the power of the [[Sun]], possibly for its own gain.<ref name="aestival">{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/Grand_Geode|Ask the Commodore for a defence against sunlight for Aestival|Sunless Sea}}</ref>

Some Sequencers have chosen to leave the Machine of their own volition while remaining golden-eyed, implying that those that remain loyal to the machine do so out of a sincere belief in its goals.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/Carnelian_Exile#Speak_to_the_Carnelian_Exile|Bread and Salt|Sunless Sea}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Contact_February|Contact February|Fallen London}}</ref> But more concerningly, as seen with the likes of the [[Flukes|Dawn Flukes]], it seems like the Machine may be able to influence beings more powerful than humans - or that it may have no limit to its influence at all.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/The_Fathomking%27s_Answer|Give the Fathomking an Element of Dawn |Sunless Sea}}</ref>