Editing The Surgeon's Child

{{major spoiler}}
{{Character|image1=Knifegrey.png|location=Unknown|relationships=[[The Cladery Heir]] (daughter)<br>
[[The Cladery Heart|The ''Cladery Heart'']]}}<blockquote>''"Did you know my mother operated on the Bazaar itself? She cut away its cladent lobe so that it would be at peace and not have to wander on and on. But the operation changed her. She got some of the ichor on her skin."''<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/Cladery_Heir|Explore her Surgery|Sunless Sea}}</ref></blockquote>

<blockquote>''"It's the ship that's remarkable. This Surgeon's Child traveled in a piece of the Bazaar. The ''Heart'' is a ship – and you, Captain, now have the record of its final destination. She traveled to places she'd dream of; and we have the record of her final dream."''<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Surgeon%27s_Child|The Surgeon's Child|Fallen London}}</ref></blockquote>

The '''Surgeon's Child''' was the mother of the [[Cladery Heir]] and the previous owner of the [[The Cladery Heart|''Cladery Heart'']].__forcetoc__

== Surgical Precision ==
<blockquote>''"My mother was the child of a surgeon in the First City. You might say that knifework runs in the family."''<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/Cladery_Heir|Invite her to dine with you|Sunless Sea}}</ref></blockquote>

A highly skilled surgeon in her own right,<ref name="difficult">{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/Cladery_Heir|Explore her Surgery|Sunless Sea}} ''""There's more difficult work I could be doing." [...] "Did you know my mother operated on the Bazaar itself? She cut away its cladent lobe so that it would be at peace and not have to wander on and on. But the operation changed her. She got some of the ichor on her skin.""''</ref> the Surgeon's Child was the daughter of a surgeon from the [[First City]] and a member of the wealthy '''House of the Knife'''.<ref name = "chef
">{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/Cladery_Heir|Invite her to dine with you|Sunless Sea}} ''"Perhaps she has missed a calling as a chef? She denies it. "My mother was the child of a surgeon in the First City. You might say that knifework runs in the family.""''</ref><ref name = "treasure">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Surgeon%27s_Child|The Surgeon's Child|Fallen London}} ''"[...] the Fellow sold the majority of his possessions in order to fund expeditions – in search of 'the Heart, the chiefest treasure of the House of the Knife'."''</ref> She specialized in excising patients' harmful desires by amputating parts of their body.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/Demeaux_Island#Iron_.26_Misery_Company_Funging_Station|A bandaged funger|Sunless Sea}} ''"The Tomb Colonist draws you [...] away from the Cladery Heir. [...] "Her mother cut my voice. Hoped to fix it so I wouldn't be able to look for my daughter. So I wouldn't want to.""''</ref><ref name = "difficult"/> Her sponsor was [[Mr Iron]], who supplied her with tools and showed her much favor; her daughter, the [[Cladery Heir]], believes they even had an affair and that Iron is her other parent.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/Cladery_Heir|Her father...?|Sunless Sea}} ''""I get my proficiency with metal from both sides of the family," [...] "Mother was a favourite with Mr Iron. She says that they only worked together, that Mr Iron sponsored her work and provided her with tools. Sharper tools that do not bend so easily.""''</ref> Not much is known of the Surgeon's Child's appearance or personality, but she is said to have liked a challenge.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/Cladery_Heir|Raise the subject of the Cladery Heart|Sunless Sea}} ''""My mother always liked a challenge.""''</ref>
[[File:Claderyheart.png|alt=A ship made from a living organ.|thumb|130x130px|[[The Cladery Heart|The ''Cladery Heart'']]]]
The Surgeon's Child's most notable patient was none other than the [[Echo Bazaar]] itself. She removed the Bazaar's "cladent lobe" to relieve it of its urge to wander; the operation exposed her to the Bazaar's ichor, which "changed" her and apparently granted her biological immortality.<ref name = "difficult"/><ref name = "three">{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/Cladery_Heir|Mr Iron? Truly?|Sunless Sea}} ''"She was in her third millennium when she bore me."''</ref> She experimented on the cladent lobe with Mr Iron's help, but the lobe still had a need to move. Her solution to this problem was to fashion it into a ship (or perhaps build a ship around it) called the [[The Cladery Heart|''Cladery Heart'']],<ref name = "experiment">{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/Cladery_Heir|What happened to the cladent lobe?|Sunless Sea}} ''"If the Cladery Heir's mother cut off a piece of London's Echo Bazaar, where did it go? [...] "Mother experimented on the lobe, various ways, with Mr Iron bringing her new implements. It wanted to be on the move, however, and in the end she put it on a ship, or built a ship around it: the Cladery Heart. But it got away from her.""''</ref> which she captained to sail to places she dreamt of.<ref name = "dream">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Surgeon%27s_Child|The Surgeon's Child|Fallen London}} ''""It's the account of the movements of a zee ship long ago. Captained by the Surgeon's Child. [...] It's the ship that's remarkable. This Surgeon's Child travelled in a piece of the Bazaar. The Heart is a ship – and you, Captain, now have the record of its final destination. She travelled to places she'd dream of; and we have the record of her final dream.""''</ref> The Surgeon's Child eventually lost track of the ''Heart'';<ref name = "experiment"/> in the ''Fallen London'' timeline, she left it at the location of her "final dream,"<ref name="dream" /> a cave in a stalagmite in the northern [[Unterzee]].<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Surgeon%27s_Child|The Surgeon's Child|Fallen London}} ''"You edge by the frozen castles of the North, [...] Finally: a gigantic stalagmite. And – there! A crack large enough for your ship to enter. [...] and there it is. [...] the Heart."''</ref>

=== Legacy ===
<blockquote>''"The Tomb Colonist draws you a little way away from the Cladery Heir. "Don't tell her you met me," he says, in a hoarse rasp. "Her mother cut my voice. Hoped to fix it so I wouldn't be able to look for my daughter. So I wouldn't want to." He wheezes. "Didn't work. Operations never... completely effective. Need to know my daughter's well. Happy. Finding enough patients. Getting enough to eat and so forth.""''<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/Demeaux_Island#Iron_.26_Misery_Company_Funging_Station|A bandaged funger|Sunless Sea}}</ref></blockquote>

<blockquote>''"It doesn't matter to me. Or... it shouldn't matter to me. The ''Cladery Heart'' is all I have of my mother, but I learned not to need her."''<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/Retrieve_the_Cladery_Heart|Keep the Cladery Heart|Sunless Sea}}</ref></blockquote>
[[File:Claderyheir small.png|alt=A woman wearing a top hat with hair covering one eye.|thumb|130x130px|[[The Cladery Heir]]]]
At the ripe old age of over three thousand years, the Surgeon's Child bore her daughter, the [[Cladery Heir]].<ref name = "three"/> Contrary to the Heir's beliefs,<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/Cladery_Heir|Mr Iron? Truly?|Sunless Sea}} ''"And I know my mother. I cannot see her in any ordinary liaison with an ordinary man, much less a husband."''</ref> the father was an ordinary engineer, not [[Mr Iron]]. The two had a falling out, and the Surgeon's Child cut her husband's voice so that he would be unable and unwilling to look for his daughter. He is now a destitute [[The Tomb-Colonies|tomb-colonist]], but the operation was unsuccessful; he can still speak despite his damaged voice, and wants to know how his daughter is faring.<ref name="funger">{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/Demeaux_Island#Iron_.26_Misery_Company_Funging_Station|A bandaged funger|Sunless Sea}} ''"The Tomb Colonist draws you [...] away from the Cladery Heir. "Don't tell her you met me," he says, in a hoarse rasp. "Her mother cut my voice. Hoped to fix it so I wouldn't be able to look for my daughter. So I wouldn't want to." [...] "Didn't work. Operations never... completely effective. Need to know my daughter's well. [...] Getting enough to eat and so forth." In exchange for the simplest news, he explains himself: "I'm her father," [...] "Ordinary engineer. Not the sort of parent she would want.""''</ref> The Surgeon's Child was a seemingly present and capable mother<ref name = "apart">{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/Retrieve_the_Cladery_Heart|Keep the Cladery Heart|Sunless Sea}} ''""The Cladery Heart is all I have of my mother, but I learned not to need her."''</ref> who passed down her ancient language and skills,<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/Cladery_Heir|Mr Iron? Truly?|Sunless Sea}} ''""I can't offer you proof," she says. "The only strange tongue I speak is my mother's, which is ancient but human. [...]"''</ref><ref name = "difficult"/> but as of the present day the two are not in contact;<ref name = "apart"/> it is not confirmed whether the Surgeon's Child died or they simply separated. The Cladery Heir eventually learned to live without her mother, but she still wants to find the ''Cladery Heart'' and continue her legacy.<ref name = "apart"/><ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/Cladery_Heir|Raise the subject of the Cladery Heart|Sunless Sea}} ''""It's a unique ship, of course. I wouldn't want to recommend any foolish efforts to find her, but if she's there for the taking..." The Cladery Heir shrugs. "My mother always liked a challenge.""''</ref>

== References ==
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