The Well of Wonders

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"The Well of Wonders is smothered in stories. They say it is the place where possibility went to die. They say it is the grave-prison of the First Storyteller. They say that if you can endure the winds, you will learn that which was never known."[1]

The Well of Wonders is a sky-well which contains the being responsible for the events that led to the destruction of Eleutheria.[2] Ah, what a dramatic way of putting it.

Welcome, Reader[edit]

Within the Well lies a garden. My garden is a haven, an refuge from the hostility of the False King's realm.[3] Within my garden lies my theater, a magnificent structure of Grecian inspiration. My performers and their captive audience (ha!) wait here.[4]

Let me introduce my cast, those who were worthy of telling my story:

  • The Lost Girl, who fled her life and headed right down a rabbit-hole. Needless to say, she got her wish.[5]
  • The Restless Vagabond, who wandered beyond the maps for far too long.[6]
  • The Runaway Scion, a prince-in-waiting who fled from an extinct kingdom.[7]
  • The Thrice-Dead Bride, the Mistress of my choir.[8]
  • The Careless Scholar, who searched for knowledge through mirrors and glass, and found it here.[9]
  • A lucky sky-captain, chosen for greatness. Perhaps it will be you.[10]

Ah, how rude of me. Allow me to introduce myself. I am the Prophet Exile,[11] though some may call me the First Storyteller,[12] or perhaps St Solonace.[13] I was once an exile from a place that was not.[14] Now, I am a living story: The Ballad of the Solonacean Conjunction.[15] I hold control over the Well of Wonders, and I am the one responsible for trapping the actors and their audience.[16]

The Ballad, Abridged[edit]

"Are you quite sure you want to know this?"

Beyond this point lie major spoilers for Fallen London, Sunless Sea, Sunless Skies, or Mask of the Rose. This may include endgame or major Fate-locked spoilers. Proceed at your own risk.

You can find out more about our spoiler policy here.


"A TRAGEDY OF TREACHERY, INJUSTICE, AND REVOLUTION in ONE ACT, as it is PERFORMED in DEFIANCE of the FALSE KING OF ELEUTHERIA"[17]

The trappings of a secondary source are too meager for a story this great. If you, dear reader, wish to experience my story in its full glory, you must hear it in person.

I. A Prologue[edit]

The Prophet Exile and their venerable Princes of Light travel to the palace of the Twin Kings of Eleutheria. They are turned away by the other Judgements, but still they seek to petition the creation of the Solonacean Conjunction.[18]

II. Forest Of Burning Twilight[edit]

The Exile and their companions await the arrival of a Messenger, who was sent to request an audience with the Twin Kings. The Exile is warned of the wrath of the Judgements, and the Messenger returns in due time.[19]

III. Palace of the Twin Kings[edit]

The Prophet presents their arguments to the Twin Kings. While the King Who Wars dismisses the cause almost immediately, the King Who Speaks admits curiosity. The Prophet is dismissed, and the King Who Wars chastises his brother for his interest in breaking the Great Chain.[20]

IV. The Aftermath[edit]

The Prophet and their companions, fuming at the rejection, vow to send a warning to the world against spurning them. The King Who Speaks secretly visits the Prophet and their companions away from the safety of his throne, and admits that his brother refuses all change. The King admits that the proposition of a new and higher order is truly something worth pursuing.[21]

V. A Night Of Transfiguration[edit]

The Prophet and Princes welcome their newest recruit, the King Who Speaks himself. The Prophet prompts the star to lower his guard in the name of the revolution, which he does. As soon as he does so, the King is stabbed to death by the Princes of Light, and the message is sent.[22]

VI. The King In Mourning[edit]

The King who Wars crushes the fledgling Conjunction, condemning them to burn for eternity in the flames of his rage. For the Prophet, however, he has saved a much harsher fate...[23]

VII. Fall of a Prophet[edit]

The Prophet is bound in chains of misery and sorrow, and a mask, lacking in both eyes and a mouth, is strapped to their face. The Prophet is condemned to the Well of Wonders, never to speak treason again. They shall rot in the Well, where their story will echo and rage, but never be told.[24]

Until now.[25]

References[edit]

  1. ↑ The Rite of Raving, Sunless Skies
  2. ↑ Dramatis Personae, Sunless Skies "Being THE BALLAD OF THE SOLONACEAN CONJUNCTION – A TRAGEDY of TREACHERY, INJUSTICE and REVOLUTION in ONE ACT, as it is PERFORMED in DEFIANCE of the FALSE KING OF ELEUTHERIA"
  3. ↑ A Garden Where Time Is Still, Sunless Skies "The humans disembark to enjoy the calm my garden provides. Flower-perfumed air brushes their oily skin. Red apples burden the trees and swollen berries cluster on every bush. They pause, cautious, but soon feasting begins."
  4. ↑ The Captain tours my Theatre, Sunless Skies "The Trespasser Captain stands on my stage to witness the entrance of the audience. Their crew fills the front row. More of their kind, recent arrivals, take the next few rows. Behind them, men of rubber and outcast bats and buzzing devils and— the rest are of no consequence. They can only hope for the privilege of witnessing a story greater than their own. They will finally have that chance."
  5. ↑ The Captain explores the Garden, Sunless Skies "She fled her life – all the way down a rabbit-hole. In my garden, that dream came true. So many years have not passed for her since then."
  6. ↑ The Captain explores the Garden, Sunless Skies "His wanderings followed the sun beyond the edge of any map. But all such travels must cease, eventually."
  7. ↑ The Captain explores the Garden, Sunless Skies "A prince-in-waiting, fleeing an extinct kingdom. I have seen the royal blood spilled many times. His veins will not endure another performance of my story."
  8. ↑ The Captain explores the Garden, Sunless Skies "She found profit in love and death, many times over. Her story should have ended at the bottom of the well where her last 'victim' overcame her. But the deepest wells often echo each other. When circumstances are right, their depths can bleed together."
  9. ↑ The Captain explores the Garden, Sunless Skies "The knowledge tempts people to strange shores. What did they think they would find with that contraption of mirrors and glass? A chance at glory? Soon, my Scholar."
  10. ↑ The Captain explores the Garden, Sunless Skies "A spare stone bench by the table, awaiting its player. Will you sit in it, my Captain? Are you at last the one our story has waited for? The stage is set. The stars themselves hold their breath."
  11. ↑ The Messenger returned!, Sunless Skies "The Prophet Exile called for the Princes of Light to assemble, to hear the response of the Twin Kings."
  12. ↑ The Rite of Raving, Sunless Skies "The Well of Wonders is smothered in stories. They say it is the place where possibility went to die. They say it is the grave-prison of the First Storyteller. They say that if you can endure the winds, you will learn that which was never known."
  13. ↑ A Meeting at the Crossroads, Sunless Skies "How ideal! St Solonace: a rebellious story cast unto a well."
  14. ↑ The revolutionaries made camp, Sunless Skies "The Prophet was an exile from a place that was not..."
  15. ↑ The Prophet Exile took a moment to reflect, Sunless Skies "Very well: I am a storyteller become story. All stories yearn to reach their end. When mine is finally complete, I will languish in ignominy no more."
  16. ↑ The Well of Wonders, Sunless Skies "My guests sit frozen in their endless repast, watching eternity through unblinking, bloodshot eyes."
  17. ↑ Dramatis Personae, Sunless Skies
  18. ↑ I. A Prologue, Sunless Skies
  19. ↑ II. Forest Of Burning Twilight, Sunless Skies
  20. ↑ III. Palace of the Twin Kings, Sunless Skies
  21. ↑ IV. The Aftermath, Sunless Skies
  22. ↑ V. A Night Of Transfiguration, Sunless Skies
  23. ↑ VI. The King In Mourning, Sunless Skies
  24. ↑ VII. Fall of a Prophet, Sunless Skies
  25. ↑ VIII: To Be Continued..., Sunless Skies
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