Editing The God-Eaters

{{Major spoiler}}
{{Character|image1 = Knifered.png|caption1 = A Ravenglass Knife: a knife of quality.|location = [[Xibalba]]|allegiance = Independent|notable_members = [[The Mottled Man]]<br>[[The Serpent-Handed]]<br>
[[The Red Bird]]|relationships=[[The Third City]]}}<blockquote>''"Whether the captain was a drunken fool or just a drunk, I don’t know. But we ended up in the wrong Tomb-Colony! An awful place. It was bad enough to have to leave at all, but this place! Ruled over by ancient tyrants! Serpent, Red Bird and Cat. He wasn’t even a nice cat!"''<ref name="talk tomb colonies 1">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Talk_to_her_about_the_Tomb-Colonies_1|Talk to her about the Tomb-Colonies 1|Fallen London|}}</ref></blockquote>The <font color = "red">'''God-Eaters'''</font> are a trio of immortal beings who once ruled the [[Third City]].__forcetoc__

== The Three ==
<blockquote><font color="red">''"You have a powerful conviction that someone is watching you."''</font><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Lens_of_Black_Glass|Lens of Black Glass|Fallen London|}}</ref></blockquote>The God-Eaters are said to be the very oldest of the [[tomb-colonists]],<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Talk_to_him_about_the_Tomb-Colonies_4|Talk to him about the Tomb-Colonies 4|Fallen London|}} ''"They’re not like the other tomb-colonists. [...] I wonder if they were the first..."''</ref> and they reside in their own private tomb-colony of [[Xibalba]].<ref name = "talk tomb colonies 4">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Talk_to_him_about_the_Tomb-Colonies_4|Talk to him about the Tomb-Colonies 4|Fallen London|}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Ask_her_what_a_Tomb_Colonist_would_say_about_this|Ask her what a Tomb Colonist would say about this|Fallen London|}}</ref> Unlike other tomb-colonists, they are unambiguously immortal, and are said to be over a thousand years old.<ref name = "talk tomb colonies 4"/> Furthermore, while they appear humanoid, they are also described as monstrous, with gigantic statures and animalistic features,<ref name = "talk tomb colonies 2">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Talk_to_him_about_the_Tomb-Colonies_(2)|Talk to him about the Tomb-Colonies (2)|Fallen London|}}</ref><ref name = "something familiar"/>

Despite all this, however, they still enjoy a good game of cards, and refuse to cheat.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Talk_to_him_about_the_Tomb-Colonies_(2)|Talk to him about the Tomb-Colonies (2)|Fallen London|}} ''"They play games, and they don’t cheat."''</ref> They also retain a strange aversion to those who seek a mysterious and oddly important name.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Talk_to_her_about_the_Tomb-Colonies_2|Talk to her about the Tomb-Colonies 2|Fallen London|}}</ref>

The God-Eaters have three members, whose true names are unknown. They are known colloquially as the [[Mottled Man]], the [[Red Bird]], and the [[Serpent-Handed]].<ref name = "track down fidgeting writer">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Track_down_the_Fidgeting_Writer|Track down the Fidgeting Writer|Fallen London|}}</ref>

=== The Mottled Man ===
<blockquote>''"'The Mottled Man?' That's a familiar phrase..."''<ref name="something familiar">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/There%27s_something_familiar_about_this_tale...|There's something familiar about this tale...|Fallen London|}}</ref></blockquote>[[File:Leopard.png|alt=A leopard.|thumb|The Cat]]
The '''Mottled Man''',<ref name = "something familiar"/> also known as the '''Cat''',<ref name = "talk tomb colonies 1"/> is a member of the God-Eaters who is said to possess jaguar-like features, such as sharp teeth, spotted skin,<ref name = "make him dream">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Make_him_dream_and_see_what_he_sees|Make him dream and see what he sees|Fallen London|}}</ref> and a powerful roar.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Burn_his_works._Break_his_pen._Escort_him_to_the_Royal_Beth|Burn his works. Break his pen. Escort him to the Royal Beth|Fallen London|}}</ref>

While the God-Eaters seem to lack any apparent hierarchy, the Mottled Man appears to be the foremost member of the God-Eaters to a certain extent,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Room_Number_at_the_Royal_Beth|Room Number at the Royal Beth|Fallen London|}}</ref> or at least the most well-known of the bunch.<ref name = "something familiar"/> Tales of the Mottled Man permeate regularly throughout [[Fallen London]], written by the very maddest of poets.<ref name = "something familiar"/>

=== The Red Bird ===
<blockquote>''"The stone knife is hot in your hand. The red bird waits high in the sky. You are a priest. Its priest. You are doing what must be done."''<ref name="crawl inside cocoon">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Crawl_inside_a_cocoon|Crawl inside a cocoon|Fallen London|}}</ref></blockquote>[[File:Lyrebird threeschools.png|alt=A red bird.|thumb|The Red Bird]]
The '''Red Bird''',<ref name = "talk tomb colonies 1"/> also called the '''Cinnabar Bird''',<ref name = "glimpse something larger">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Glimpse_of_Something_Larger|Glimpse of Something Larger|Fallen London|}}</ref> is a member of the God-Eaters who is said to possess "red feathers" that "whisper like a crowd of murderers."<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Make_him_dream_and_see_what_he_sees|Make him dream and see what he sees|Fallen London|}} ''"The bird whose red feathers whisper like a crowd of murderers."''</ref> When the [[Third City]] was still on the [[Surface]], the Red Bird commanded a group of priests wearing feathered headdresses, who would carry out ritual sacrifices on his behalf.<ref name = "crawl inside cocoon"/> Following the Fall of the Third City, these priests venerated [[Mr Veils]], as well as the other [[Masters]], as deities.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Chain_the_Veils_of_the_Third_City_in_Parabola|Chain the Veils of the Third City in Parabola|Fallen London|}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Capture_Third_City_Veils|Capture Third City Veils|Fallen London|}} ''"OLD PRIEST-KINGS [...] WE WERE ALL GODS TO THEM."''</ref> 

In the present day, these priests have long since died, and are now known as the '''Long-Dead Priests of the Red Bird'''.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Long-Dead_Priests_of_the_Red_Bird|The Long-Dead Priests of the Red Bird|Fallen London|}}</ref> They wander the realm of [[Parabola]], their number varying from seven to four to one at any given time.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Consult_the_Priests_of_the_Red_Bird|Consult the Priests of the Red Bird|Fallen London|}}</ref> If the Long-Dead Priests are offered a suitable dreamer, they harvest that person's dreams with their knives from the fabric of Parabola itself, taking a part of the dreamer's identity in the process.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Hand_over_this_dream_as_an_offering|Hand over this dream as an offering|Fallen London|}}</ref>

=== The Serpent-Handed ===
<blockquote>''"It is gone, now. We gave it up, so we could persist. And now I wonder if it is better to be consumed than to endure."''<ref name="choice of kings">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Burial_of_the_Dead:_the_Choice_of_Kings|Burial of the Dead: the Choice of Kings|Fallen London|}}</ref></blockquote>[[File:Serpentgreen.png|alt=A serpent.|thumb|The Serpent]]
The '''Serpent-Handed''',<ref name = "track down fidgeting writer"/> also called the '''Snake''',<ref name = "talk tomb colonies 1"/> is a member of the God-Eaters who, as his name may suggest, is said to have serpents for hands.<ref name = "glimpse something larger"/>

Despite gaining immortality, the Serpent-Handed is not as thrilled with his situation as he may have hoped. He still wonders if gaining immortality was a curse in disguise, and that perhaps he should have let himself be consumed rather than continue to live.<ref name = "choice of kings">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Burial_of_the_Dead:_the_Choice_of_Kings|Burial of the Dead: the Choice of Kings|Fallen London|}}</ref> However, he still feels a sense of superiority over all other people: if there was anyone worthy of immortality, it would be him, and therefore anything he would commit to achieve his lofty goal would be justified.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/%27Of_course,_I_climbed_the_building...%27|'Of course, I climbed the building...'|Fallen London|}}</ref>

== Xibalba ==
<blockquote>''"That d–n fool of a captain got us lost, and we ended up in some uncharted, miserable Tomb-Colony. Worse than usual. Dust and death and smoke and glass. Dust and death and smoke and glass..."''<ref name="talk tomb colonies 2" /></blockquote>[[File:Ship.png|alt=A sailing ship.|thumb|Off the coast?]]
'''Xibalba''' is a mysterious tomb-colony that serves as the home for the God-Eaters. It is said to be a place almost frozen in time, from when the God-Eaters were still glorious, and is littered with glass gates, pillars,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Talk_to_him_about_the_Tomb-Colonies_(3)|Talk to him about the Tomb-Colonies (3)|Fallen London|}}</ref> smoke, dust, and death.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Talk_to_him_about_the_Tomb-Colonies_(2)|Talk to him about the Tomb-Colonies (2)|Fallen London|}} ''"Dust and death and smoke and glass."''</ref> Other landmarks include the '''City of the White Scorpion''', which apparently contains rivers full of scorpions that chatter like a large crowd and place bets on which nearby ship would sink the fastest.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Talk_to_him_about_the_Tomb-Colonies_1|Talk to him about the Tomb-Colonies 1|Fallen London|}} ''"I can recall [...] sound [...] Like a school-yard full of vicious children."''</ref>

The location of Xibalba is unclear, though it is accessible via ship across the [[Unterzee]], off the main shipping lanes of the more well-known tomb-colonies.<ref name = "talk tomb colonies 1"/>

== The Deal ==
{{Peckish spoiler small}}<blockquote>''"A celebration! The God-Eaters lick their fingers, not to waste a scrap. They will live forever now. Much good will it do them. Perhaps they will eat you, one day. Perhaps. If they know you. If you travel to their lairs of dusty stone."''<ref name="look into water 1">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Look_into_the_water_1|Look into the water 1|Fallen London|}}</ref>

<font color="red">''"We are so hungry. Feed us. Feed us. We sit around the well, and wait."''</font><ref name="my kingdom for pig">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/My_Kingdom_for_a_Pig|My Kingdom for a Pig|Fallen London|}}</ref></blockquote>[[File:Ruinsthird.png|alt=Ancient Mayan ruins.|thumb|Ruins of the [[Third City]].]]
Back when the Third City was still on the Surface, the City's rulers, three priest-kings, relentlessly hunted down any beast, any meat, anything that would sate themselves.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/My_Kingdom_for_a_Pig|My Kingdom for a Pig|Fallen London|}} ''"Beasts slaughtered, feasts spread on the floor. [...] We chew. [...] we devour the dead until our hungers have been fed. Feed us. Feed us more than the dead."''</ref> Meanwhile, the [[Masters of the Bazaar]] had recently escaped from the [[Second City]] after being trapped there for centuries.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Homecoming|Homecoming|Fallen London|}} ''"Tricked by creatures as low as you. Led into a trap. Imprisoned for aeons. [...] Forced to sacrifice—"''</ref> The priest-kings knew of the Masters and their nature, and thus arranged with them a dangerous bargain.<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."''</ref>

The bargain was simple: the Masters were to feed the priest-kings a new meat, a form of transcendent flesh. To the Masters, this price was surprisingly manageable, as they had someone they could use as a scapegoat.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/My_Kingdom_for_a_Pig|My Kingdom for a Pig|Fallen London|}} ''"It isn't really much to pay. [...] [...] someone else can take the fall to feed them, feed them something more. Just sign here."''</ref> That "someone" was none other than [[Mr Candles]],<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Accept_the_Name!|Accept the Name!|Fallen London|}} ''"The light on the edge of sleep was mine. I was Mr Candles. I will not be again."''</ref> the weakest of the Masters,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Enter_the_lighthouse.|Enter the lighthouse.|Fallen London|}} ''"But it is clear that he was aware of his deficiency [...]"''</ref> who was lured to the priest-kings by Mr Veils.<ref>{{Citation|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> The priest-kings promptly ensnared Mr Candles, cut him open with their knives of obsidian, and greedily consumed his flesh, even as he screamed,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Pervert_your_studies|Pervert your studies|Fallen London|}} ''"They hooked him [...] Their knives [...] were dark and sharp [...] He screamed then [...] and they opened their mouths [...]"''</ref> even as the bats rose from beneath the ground, even as the world opened up and the Third City fell.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Look_into_the_water_0|Look into the water 0|Fallen London|}} ''"Men draped in fabrics bright with geometric patterns and dark with blood. They gnaw on something. Their mouths are smeared. Bats cry out: they look up, and return to their feast. Their faces are rapt. Ripples consume them."''</ref>

== After the Fall ==
<blockquote>''"As you look into the glass, something draws your eye. Hunched figures, like shadows cast on a cave wall, sit in perfect stillness. There are three, at least. They shuffle away from the glass, and are swallowed into the dark."''<ref name="chalcocite pagoda 2">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Chalcocite_Pagoda_2|The Chalcocite Pagoda 2|Fallen London|}}</ref>

<font color="red">''"Our stomachs growl. Our knives are sharp. We are so hungry. So hungry."''</font><ref name="my kingdom for pig" /></blockquote>[[File:Idol.png|alt=A strange statue.|thumb|A relic of the [[Third City]].]]
After their infamous feast, the God-Eaters were able to incorporate parts of Mr Candles into themselves, allowing them to ascend the [[Judgements]]' Chain and gain immortality and great power.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/You_have_rejected_wine_and_song|You have rejected wine and song|Fallen London|}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Look_into_the_water_1|Look into the water 1|Fallen London|}} ''"A celebration! The God-Eaters lick their fingers, not to waste a scrap. They will live forever now. Much good will it do them."''</ref> They would go on to rule the Third City in the Neath, acting as living gods and ruling through possession of hidden knowledge and rituals rather than by pure force.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Ask_her_what_a_Tomb_Colonist_would_say_about_this|Ask her what a Tomb Colonist would say about this|Fallen London|}} ''"[...] the rulers who led more by ritual and hidden knowledge than by control. The saying that their gods lived among them [...]"''</ref> Later, during the time of the [[Fourth City]], the God-Eaters managed to enthrall several of the citizens there to do their bidding, forming the group of warriors and enemies of the Khan known as the [[Copper]].<ref name = "chalcocite pagoda 2"/><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Chalcocite_Pagoda_1|The Chalcocite Pagoda 1|Fallen London|}}</ref>

However, the God-Eaters' greed and lust for power came back to ''bite'' them in a way even they couldn't anticipate: as time went on, their bodies grew old and withered, and their remains are now little more than husks. Their fearsome appearances may in fact be illusions:<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Make_him_dream_and_see_what_he_sees|Make him dream and see what he sees|Fallen London|}} ''"As sense returns, you try to impose reason on the nightmare."''</ref> the [[Mottled Man]] may merely be wearing the skin of an exotic animal, the [[Red Bird]]'s feathers may only be a headdress made of cinnabar beads, and the [[Serpent-Handed]] may be a man holding a snake-headed staff. The God-Eaters still starve for eternity in their home of [[Xibalba]], unable to sate their endless hunger, and they can only hope to communicate with the rest of the world through mysterious lenses made of black glass.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Look_through_the_Lens|Look through the Lens|Fallen London|}} ''"They're tattooed and emaciated, clearly starving. [...] One of them lunges for the lens."''</ref>

=== The Fidgeting Writers ===
<blockquote>''"At first they watch, then they lean close - like the surface of the moon! - and begin to eat. They start with your fingers, then suck on your heart. They eat and eat, every bit of you until there's nothing left but them."''<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Visit_him_regularly_and_ask_the_Manager_about_his_stay|Visit him regularly and ask the Manager about his stay|Fallen London|}}</ref>

<font color="red">''"Come back here. Give us meat. We made a deal. We have to eat."''</font><ref name="my kingdom for pig" /></blockquote>[[File:Gentsmalltc.png|alt=A sepia tone picture of a man.|thumb|A Fidgeting Writer.]]
As their condition grew more and more dire, the God-Eaters needed to find a way to solve or bypass their problem quickly - and in their typically diabolical fashion, they found one. Their solution was to invade the dreams of certain unfortunate individuals in the [[Neath]] and even on the [[Surface]],<ref name = "glimpse something larger"/> giving them horrifying nightmares of bestial giants consuming them bit by bit.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Visit_him_regularly_and_ask_the_Manager_about_his_stay|Visit him regularly and ask the Manager about his stay|Fallen London|}} ''"[...] until one day he speaks about the dreams. [...]"''</ref> As the victim succumbs, they descend into near-insanity, writing madly of the God-Eaters' terrifying forms and the feeling of being watched,<ref name = "something familiar"/> their condition worsening the more they're allowed to write.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Visit_him_regularly_and_ask_the_Manager_about_his_stay|Visit him regularly and ask the Manager about his stay|Fallen London|}} ''"Its sufferers' condition worsen as long as they are allowed to write about their dreams."''</ref> These '''Fidgeting Writers''' are then usually taken to a special wing of the [[Royal Bethlehem Hotel]] where they spend their last days away from any pens,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Burn_his_works._Break_his_pen._Escort_him_to_the_Royal_Beth|Burn his works. Break his pen. Escort him to the Royal Beth|Fallen London|}} ''"'Another one for the Veils Wing,' [...]"''</ref> but those who aren't so lucky embark on trips across the [[Unterzee]] to Xibalba,<ref name = "make him dream"/> where the God-Eaters snatch and take over their bodies like blood filling a cleft.<ref name = "talk tomb colonies 4"/>

<font color = "red">''"We will find you again. You cannot run away. We will find you, and feast in your skull when you sleep. You cannot run away from a dream."''</font><ref name = "my kingdom for pig"/>
== References ==
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[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Nonhuman]]