The King of Carols

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"The Choir-in-One (who was, you are now certain, an ur-devil) was – elaborated? Stretched? Hung? – above the well ... The stars 'made a message of him,' (this part is unusually clear). In defiance, he gave away his voices, bestowing 'all but one of them upon his—' The next part might be 'creations' or 'aberrations' or 'amalgamies'. Apparently, this was not well received by 'those who judged'."[1]

The King of Carols, also known as the Many-Mouthed and the Choir-in-One,[2] is a Grand Devil and the prisoner within the Well of the Wolf.[3] He is described as an "ur-devil," but his physical form is never seen, and the exact meaning of this term is unknown.[2] The devils at the Well sing and dance in his honor, and recount his deeds and tragic fate through their hymns.[4]

Long ago, the King protested against the King of Hours' Golden Day by refusing to sing for the Judgements.[5] In retaliation, the Judgements hung him above the well as a warning against rebellion.[6] In a final act of defiance, the King gave away all but one of his many voices to his creations, the Chorister Bees, infuriating the Judgements even further.[7][8] For this, he was imprisoned in the well forever.[9] The King's followers, the devils, used his martyrdom as a cause for their growing rebellion against the Judgements.[10] Although it is said that "the Chain was broken" during this rebellion, the devils were defeated, and were forced to flee to Parabola via Caduceus to escape their oppressors' sight.[10][11]

It is not clear whether the King of Carols and the Grand Devil known as the Chorister are the same being. The Chorister accompanied the stars to war,[12] and possessed the ability to shed his shell repeatedly to elude his captors.[13] One of these shells rests in the Heart-Catcher Gardens, near Pan in Eleutheria.[14] The fact that he is referred to consistently as "our Chorister," whereas other Grand Devils are (for instance) "the Piper" or "the Drummer," may be an indicator of his status.[13][15]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Listen to the third hymn, Sunless Skies
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Listen to the first hymn, Sunless Skies "The Choir-in-One (who was, you are now certain, an ur-devil) [...]"
  3. ↑ Listen to the first hymn, Sunless Skies "The Singular Choir? No – the Choir-in-One. The Many-Mouthed. The Master of— no. The King of Celebrants? No, the King of Carols. These are the names of the thing in the Well."
  4. ↑ Listen to the fourth and final hymn, Sunless Skies "The choir has grown enough to attempt its most sacred hymn. [...] The Hymn of the Martyr [...] The hymn is an ending-hymn. The Many-Mouthed was judged by the Regents in Gold, and cast into the well. His voices, all but the one he kept, 'were scattered to the hives'. [...] The fate of the uprising is unstated, but the sigils are melancholy. [...]"
  5. ↑ Listen to the second hymn, Sunless Skies "[...] the hymn's plainsong denotes a time long ago: [...] a tale of the Many-Mouthed. He... [...] campaigned, perhaps, or protested – against [...] 'the Golden Rule'? [...] The King of Carols 'objected through the withdrawal of his voice'. Because of this, 'the eyes were angry'."
  6. ↑ Listen to the third hymn, Sunless Skies "This hymn is a hymn of suffering. [...] The Choir-in-One [...] was – elaborated? Stretched? Hung? – above the well [...] The stars 'made a message of him,' [...]"
  7. ↑ Listen to the third hymn, Sunless Skies "In defiance, he gave away his voices, bestowing 'all but one of them upon his—' The next part might be 'creations' or 'aberrations' or 'amalgamies'. Apparently, this was not well received by 'those who judged'."
  8. ↑ Deposit the Abstemious Devil, Sunless Skies "Long ago, the Many-Mouthed gave all but one of his voices to his creations. I require a single live chorister-bee."
  9. ↑ Listen to the fourth and final hymn, Sunless Skies "The Hymn of the Martyr [...] The Many-Mouthed was judged by the Regents in Gold, and cast into the well. His voices, all but the one he kept, 'were scattered to the hives'."
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Listen to the fourth and final hymn, Sunless Skies "His followers – 'the horned and brazen' – grieved, then raged, then rebelled. The Chain was broken. The fate of the uprising is unstated, but the sigils are melancholy. There is reference to an exodus, to 'a time of serpents'."
  11. ↑ Ask him about his memories of Caduceus, Sunless Skies ""After the Well of the Wolf," [...] "the Devils could no longer remain in the sight of the Judgements: not if we intended to live. We escaped through Caduceus into Parabola, the place that is not; and from there onward. We were a people in exile."
  12. ↑ Sanctify the corpse of the Chorister Saint, Sunless Skies "You daub its lips with some of the vial of souls, and anoint its armour as it would have done when it accompanied the suns to war."
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Return to the Scarlet Condottiere (Chorister), Sunless Skies "Of course you encountered one of his shells. The meat of him is elsewhere. Our Chorister was not so easily vanquished."
  14. ↑ Sanctify the corpse of the Chorister Saint, Sunless Skies "Clasped within the boil of vines is the brass carapace of the Chorister Saint. All of its eyes are dull; it is a desiccated husk, drunk dry."
  15. ↑ Join the Brigade, Sunless Skies "There are tombs held by the other factions of Pan. Tombs of our Chorister Saint in the Heart-Catcher's Garden; [...]"
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