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{{Spoiler}}<blockquote>{{Character|title1=The Second Sacristan|location=[[The Delight]]|allegiance=[[The Presbyterate]]|image1=Monsterhand2.png|caption1=Too many hands.|alias=The Prester's Hand | {{Spoiler}}<blockquote>{{Character|title1=The Second Sacristan|location=[[The Delight]]|allegiance=[[The Presbyterate]]|image1=Monsterhand2.png|caption1=Too many hands.|alias=The Prester's Hand}} | ||
''"You said 'Sacristan'. On the Delight, I said 'Commander'. Same person, if that monster can be called a person."''<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Ask_about_the_Second_Sacristan|Ask about the Second Sacristan|Fallen London|}}</ref></blockquote>The '''Second Sacristan''' is the commander of the [[The Delight|Delight]]<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Observe_the_enemy_ship|Observe the enemy ship|Fallen London|}} ''"[...]awaiting orders from her gaunt and towering commander: the Second Sacristan."''</ref> and an agent of the [[Presbyterate]].<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Ask_about_the_Second_Sacristan|Ask about the Second Sacristan|Fallen London|}} ''"She goes on to explain how the Mithridate Office enlisted mercenaries for the College of Mortality. "The money? Too good to refuse." But despite Nidah's deep coffers, their soldiers, their ships, they only sent one agent of their own. "Wanted to avoid official deployment, which is why the Commander hired so many low-life criminals – such as yours truly.""''</ref> Also known as the '''Prester's Hand''','''<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Ask_about_the_Second_Sacristan|Ask about the Second Sacristan|Fallen London|}} ''"Get her to tell you everything she knows about the Prester's Hand."''</ref>''' they oversee the recruitment of sailors to the Presbyterate's forces,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Ask_about_the_Second_Sacristan|Ask about the Second Sacristan|Fallen London|}} ''"She goes on to explain how the Mithridate Office enlisted mercenaries for the College of Mortality. [...] When she first met the Prester's Hand, in a dilapidated warehouse near the docks, she found the shabby scenery "funny" after the riches the Mithridate Office had promised. Other zailors were there. Then the Sacristan opened a bag filled with masks. "After that, none of us cared about the money anymore.""''</ref> and the handling and punishment of prisoners aboard the Delight. The latter duty includes the administration<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Traitor_Tongue_Speaks|The Traitor Tongue Speaks|Fallen London|}} ''"Into the Youthful Naturalist's mouth, the Second Sacristan has poured truth itself. Truth is something that shines like a blood-red ruby. Its light sparkles behind his teeth. It shimmers on his lips. The Second Sacristan leans forward to listen, and what the Youthful Naturalist says – each word he speaks – resonates with the music of the spheres."''</ref> and removal<ref name=":12">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Administering_the_Prester%27s_Justice|Administering the Prester's Justice|Fallen London|}} ''"The Shrouded Captive would scream, but his tongue is slipping down his throat – pulled backward as you labour together with the Prester's agents. [...] They have hooked something inside, something that squirms. [...] His tongue is no mere tongue. It is the squirming thing: the front end, as it were, if the Masked Corsairs have caught the back."''</ref> of the infamous [[Cline|Traitor-Tongues]]. | |||
''"You said 'Sacristan'. On the Delight, I said 'Commander'. Same person, if that monster can be called a person."''<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Ask_about_the_Second_Sacristan|Ask about the Second Sacristan|Fallen London|}}</ref></blockquote>The '''Second Sacristan''' is an agent of the [[Presbyterate]]<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Ask_about_the_Second_Sacristan|Ask about the Second Sacristan|Fallen London|}} ''"She goes on to explain how the Mithridate Office enlisted mercenaries for the College of Mortality. "The money? Too good to refuse." But despite Nidah's deep coffers, their soldiers, their ships, they only sent one agent of their own. "Wanted to avoid official deployment, which is why the Commander hired so many low-life criminals – such as yours truly." | |||
The Sacristan appears to be an unusually tall and gangly humanoid wearing a peacoat,<ref name=":0">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Look_closer_at_the_Delight|Look closer at the Delight|Fallen London|}} ''"And towering over them by at least three feet, wrapped in a great pea-coat buttoned snug as a straitjacket, their commander also lifts a spy-glass with a gangly, clawed limb – to look at you."''</ref> a zailor's cap, and a cravat.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Look_closer_at_the_Delight|Look closer at the Delight|Fallen London|}} ''"You cannot see the commander's face. An excessively knotted cravat obscures any mouth or nose, and the traditional zailor's cap covers the rest. "''</ref> They have clawed limbs<ref name=":0" /> that feature an alarming number of joints.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Observe_the_enemy_ship|Observe the enemy ship|Fallen London|}} ''"At this range, you can see how the Sacristan's pea-coat, buttoned so tightly, is nevertheless bulging like an overstuffed sausage. The Sacristan raises a limb – triple, quadruple, no, at least quintuple-jointed [...]"''</ref> Their cabin is lit by hundreds of candles,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Enter_the_Second_Sacristan%27s_cabin|Enter the Second Sacristan's cabin|Fallen London|}} ''"Candles glow, hundreds, around the cabin. Their wicks are fiery beams, as if the world were a stained-glass window and the candles were cracks through which sunlight could directly pour. [...] All the corsairs, kneeling, bright with glory that shines from without and also from within. They are panes in the stained-glass. Their bodies are living light. They line the walls, bowed before their radiant captain..."''</ref> some of which were once human.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Enter_the_Second_Sacristan%27s_cabin|Enter the Second Sacristan's cabin|Fallen London|}} ''"Candles burn throughout the cabin. Rather large candles. Hundreds amassed like humans huddled for warmth – and some are humans. Empty skin filled with wax; flames guttering in scooped eyes; wicks woven from greasy hair. Corpse-fat to feed the fire."''</ref> The Delight's masked sailors<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Look_closer_at_the_Delight|Look closer at the Delight|Fallen London|}} ''"Other zailors aboard the Delight are wearing masks. Lacquer. Stone. Something smooth like tallow or beeswax."''</ref> see the Sacristan as a haloed saint or other divine figure.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Enter_the_Second_Sacristan%27s_cabin|Enter the Second Sacristan's cabin|Fallen London|}} ''"...for nothing shines more than the Second Sacristan. Sleeves streaming with sunbeams. Haloed. Bearing a golden cup upon a silver plate. The cup brims with pure honesty."''</ref> | The Sacristan appears to be an unusually tall and gangly humanoid wearing a peacoat,<ref name=":0">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Look_closer_at_the_Delight|Look closer at the Delight|Fallen London|}} ''"And towering over them by at least three feet, wrapped in a great pea-coat buttoned snug as a straitjacket, their commander also lifts a spy-glass with a gangly, clawed limb – to look at you."''</ref> a zailor's cap, and a cravat.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Look_closer_at_the_Delight|Look closer at the Delight|Fallen London|}} ''"You cannot see the commander's face. An excessively knotted cravat obscures any mouth or nose, and the traditional zailor's cap covers the rest. "''</ref> They have clawed limbs<ref name=":0" /> that feature an alarming number of joints.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Observe_the_enemy_ship|Observe the enemy ship|Fallen London|}} ''"At this range, you can see how the Sacristan's pea-coat, buttoned so tightly, is nevertheless bulging like an overstuffed sausage. The Sacristan raises a limb – triple, quadruple, no, at least quintuple-jointed [...]"''</ref> Their cabin is lit by hundreds of candles,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Enter_the_Second_Sacristan%27s_cabin|Enter the Second Sacristan's cabin|Fallen London|}} ''"Candles glow, hundreds, around the cabin. Their wicks are fiery beams, as if the world were a stained-glass window and the candles were cracks through which sunlight could directly pour. [...] All the corsairs, kneeling, bright with glory that shines from without and also from within. They are panes in the stained-glass. Their bodies are living light. They line the walls, bowed before their radiant captain..."''</ref> some of which were once human.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Enter_the_Second_Sacristan%27s_cabin|Enter the Second Sacristan's cabin|Fallen London|}} ''"Candles burn throughout the cabin. Rather large candles. Hundreds amassed like humans huddled for warmth – and some are humans. Empty skin filled with wax; flames guttering in scooped eyes; wicks woven from greasy hair. Corpse-fat to feed the fire."''</ref> The Delight's masked sailors<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Look_closer_at_the_Delight|Look closer at the Delight|Fallen London|}} ''"Other zailors aboard the Delight are wearing masks. Lacquer. Stone. Something smooth like tallow or beeswax."''</ref> see the Sacristan as a haloed saint or other divine figure.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Enter_the_Second_Sacristan%27s_cabin|Enter the Second Sacristan's cabin|Fallen London|}} ''"...for nothing shines more than the Second Sacristan. Sleeves streaming with sunbeams. Haloed. Bearing a golden cup upon a silver plate. The cup brims with pure honesty."''</ref> | ||
==Oops! All Hands== | ==Oops! All Hands== | ||
<blockquote>''"How many hands does the Prester's Hand have?"''<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Associating_with_a_Youthful_Naturalist|Associating with a Youthful Naturalist 415|Fallen London|}}</ref></blockquote>The Sacristan's alternate title is more accurate than one might expect. Beneath its bulging peacoat<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Evade_the_right_arm|Evade the right arm|Fallen London|}} ''"Fabric shreds. Buttons bounce. The Second Sacristan's pea-coat bursts asunder at the seams, ripped by its own razor hands. More arms erupt from within."''</ref> is a being with | <blockquote>''"How many hands does the Prester's Hand have?"''<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Associating_with_a_Youthful_Naturalist|Associating with a Youthful Naturalist 415|Fallen London|}}</ref></blockquote>The Sacristan's alternate title is more accurate than one might expect. Beneath its bulging peacoat<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Evade_the_right_arm|Evade the right arm|Fallen London|}} ''"Fabric shreds. Buttons bounce. The Second Sacristan's pea-coat bursts asunder at the seams, ripped by its own razor hands. More arms erupt from within."''</ref> is a being with ''infinite'' arms and hands.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Negotiate_with_a_beckoning_hand|Negotiate with a beckoning hand|Fallen London|}} ''"You barely repulse one hand before twenty more lunge."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Abandon_ship!|Abandon ship!|Fallen London|}} ''"Birds burst from the hold. Bats flock into the air. Insects swarm – bees, frost-moths, butterflies – and a hundred thousand arms strain after them."''</ref> The Sacristan's arms are inscribed with the words of the Prester, written in the [[Correspondence]]:<ref name=":1">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Climb_around_the_fingers|Climb around the fingers|Fallen London|}} ''"Only now do you notice the sigils inscribed on the arms, the long strings of calligraphy [...] A single glance, and suddenly the text burns in your brain:'' I am eternal. ''Again and again, repeating on each limb:'' And yet my reign is circumscrib’d by Law and Fate. ''Carved into every talon:'' I will feast at my funeral, and my child shall be my cup-bearer. [...] Yet I am generous: all shall feast.''"''</ref><blockquote>''I am eternal. And yet my reign is circumscrib’d by Law and Fate. I will feast at my funeral, and my child shall be my cup-bearer. Yet I am generous: all shall feast.<ref name=":1" />'' </blockquote>There is no face beneath its captain's hat and cravat; only ''more'' arms.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Blessed_by_the_Prester%27s_Hand|Blessed by the Prester's Hand|Fallen London|}} ''"The Second Sacristan's pea-coat bulges. Massive lumps shift inside. Beneath the traditional captain's cap, you see no face, even at this close range. But concealed by the Sacristan's knotted cravat, there are more lumps where most zailors would have a face. Long arms extend with long claws at their ends. Too many elbows. Impossible joints. Segmented limbs that spread, prepared to seize you in their grip."''</ref> Even its eyes are gems inlaid in gold rings on its fingers.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Beat_back_a_burning_hand|Beat back a burning hand|Fallen London|}} ''"You catch one final glimpse as the cravat unravels too: fingers for a face; ruby eyes stuck in gold rings. They sparkle through the smoke, glinting beneath the captain's cap..."''</ref> The only communication it appears to be capable of is a deafening screech.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Negotiate_with_a_beckoning_hand|Negotiate with a beckoning hand|Fallen London|}} ''"Deep within the pea-coat, something like a low rumble develops. Rising in volume. Increasing until the Second Sacristan's screech could shatter glass."''</ref> | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
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