Editing Wrack

{{Neath_Location|image1 = Wrackgaz.png|caption1 = Wrack, a city of sunken ships and dark delights.|image2 = Wrack_concept_art.png|caption2 = Wrack, an arbor of shipwrecks and mysteries.|location = [[The Unterzee|Stonesoul Isles]]|alias = The City of Delights|allegiance = [[Wrack#The Fair King|The Fair King]]|music = [https://failbettergames.bandcamp.com/track/lowlands Lowlands]|notable_inhabitants = [[Wrack#The Fair King|The Fair King]]<br>[[Bourdain]]|port=}}''"Ships lured in by false promises and lights litter the zee-floor. Their broken hulls make a city for the wreckers. The citizens are in constant motion, working to survive and appease the Fair King, who sits deep within the city on his wheeled throne."''<ref name = "port description">{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/Wrack#Port_description|Port description|Sunless Sea|}}</ref>

'''Wrack''' is a city of sunken ships found on the floor of the [[Unterzee]].__FORCETOC__

==Sunken Delights ==
''"We found Wrack, and were safe from the wreckships that had hunted us. But there are sweeter dangers in the City of Delights."''<ref name="watery journal">{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/Salvage!|A watery journal|Sunless Sea|}}</ref>

Wrack is a settlement of scoundrels built on the zee-floor from many, many sunken ships. The city is the home of the infamous '''Wreckers''', pirates who use trickery and craftiness to destroy unsuspecting vessels for plunder and infrastructure.<ref name = "port description">{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/Wrack#Port_description|Port description|Sunless Sea|}}</ref><ref name="state of the city">{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/Wrack:_The_State_of_the_City|Wrack: The State of the City|Sunless Sea|}}</ref>

Above the Zee, the Wreckers travel from port to port to lure ships loaded with riches to the waters above Wrack,<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/Wrack#Interactions|Go Wrecking!|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> using a combination of carefully crafted poems, lies,<ref name="port report">{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/Wrack#Interactions|Compile a Port Report|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> and fantasies of riches and wonders.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/Isle_of_Cats#Port_Cavendish|Save the smugglers from Wrack|Sunless Sea|}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/Polythreme#Port_interactions|Warn some merchants about Wrack|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> Once the victims arrive at Wrack, their ships are destroyed by underwater minefields,<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/Port_Carnelian#Port_interactions|Warn the adventurers of Wrack|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> and the sunken ships are added to the city's infrastructure while their treasures are used to contribute to the city's resources.<ref name="state of the city">{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/Wrack:_The_State_of_the_City|Wrack: The State of the City|Sunless Sea|}}</ref>
[[File:Wreckship.png|alt=A sunken ship with glowing lights.|thumb|100px|A Wreckship.]]
Below the zee, the Wreckers use vessels disguised as shipwrecks to lure in unsuspecting zubmarines searching for plunder and blinded by greed. The pirates' '''Wreckship''' will then surface for battle and either sink the opposing ship or be sunk itself, but even a destroyed Wreckship is dangerous; its inhabitants, like the ship itself, make use of the tactic of playing dead when boarded.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/You_have_defeated_a_Wreckship|You have defeated a Wreckship|Sunless Sea|}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/Wreckship#You_have_defeated_a_Wreckship|Send a boarding party|Sunless Sea|}}</ref>

Wrack was founded by the captain of a particularly durable ship that sank to the bottom of the Zee. The ship's crew managed to survive thanks to the captain's leadership, and the captain declared herself '''Queen''' of their fledgling settlement. She then started her career as a wrecker to claim further territory and expand the city.<ref name="archive">{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/Discoveries_in_the_Ivory_Archives|Unearth a heroic tale|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> The most recent Queen chose a baby whose mother gave birth in Wrack after being brought there by a shipwreck, and intended to adopt the baby as her daughter and future Queen. The child received tutelage in a variety of subjects, and became the new ruler of Wrack following the Queen's death. He was not, as it turned out, a daughter, and is now known as the [[Wrack#The Fair King|Fair King]].<ref name="get to know king">{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/An_Audience_with_the_King|Get to know the King|Sunless Sea|}}''"The old Queen, childless, took him in as her own. She thought she'd found a daughter, he laughs. [...] He was tutored in matters of poetry, mathematics, engineering, biology, oceanography, and jurisprudence. [...] "A straightforward affair. The Queen died, and I have ruled since.""''</ref> It is implied that adoptive princesses were a tradition, a succession of queens. However, this is never stated outright; the age of Wrack is unclear and the tradition may have occurred as planned only once, or not at all.<ref name="get to know king" />

==Tether==
{{spoiler}}
''"There is a weed that grows on the broken ships: to taste it is a privilege reserved for successful wreckers."''<ref name="taste tether">{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/Wrack#Interactions|Taste the tether|Sunless Sea|}}</ref>

''"That's tether for you. Sometimes people find each other."''<ref name="tethered">{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/An_Audience_with_the_King|Recall a vision of Knives|Sunless Sea|}}</ref>

The inhabitants of Wrack cultivate an unusual but highly valuable weed called '''tether''', which grows on the broken hulls of the ships the Wreckers destroy.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/Wrack#Interactions|Taste the tether|Sunless Sea|}}''"There is a weed that grows on the broken ships: to taste it is a privilege reserved for successful wreckers."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/An_Audience_with_the_King|Have any of the ships you sent come in?|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> The Wreckers use thick gloves and long clippers to harvest tether,<ref name="port report" /> as touching it with one's fingers can remove one's ability to taste tether forever. Which would be unfortunate, as consuming tether can be highly addictive, similar to [[Prisoner's Honey]].<ref name="provide for priest">{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/Wrack#Interactions|Provide for a Disgraced Tether-Priest, so he may provide for you|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> Wrack's primary stockpile of tether can be found in the '''Sanctum''', a heavily guarded vault in a sunken battleship, and the strange plant is primarily reserved for successful Wreckers.<ref name="taste tether" /> 

Consuming tether grants the consumer a mysterious vision of living someone else's life, sometimes from the past,<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/The_Fair_King%27s_Yearning#Interactions|Kiss the Fair King|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> present,<ref name="paisley pillow">{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/Visions_with_the_Cup#Interactions|...a paisley pillow|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> or even the future,<ref name="sky">{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/Visions_with_the_Knife|...the smell of the lamp|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> and these visions may take place in the Neath,<ref name="paisley pillow" /> on the [[Surface]], or as far as the reaches of the [[High Wilderness]].<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/Visions_with_the_Bone|Visions with the Bone|Sunless Sea|}}</ref><ref name="sky">{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/Visions_with_the_Knife|...the smell of the lamp|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> The nature of these visions can also be specified by taking tether while holding a certain memento, and specified further by clearing one's mind and focusing on an object or aspect of one's surroundings during consumption.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/Knife,_Cup,_or_Bone%3F|Knife, Cup, or Bone?|Sunless Sea|}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/Visions_with_the_Bone#Story_description|Visions with the Bone|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> Tether is often used as a recreational drug,<ref name="watery journal" /><ref name="provide for priest" /> though some inhabitants of Wrack use tether for reasons other than indulgence: tether-visions can be useful for gathering information or for learning new expertise.<ref name="get to know king" /> Repeated exposure to tether may have side-effects,<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/A_Tingle_in_the_Spine|Trigger conditions|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> however, such as visions manifesting without warning when visiting familiar locations.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/A_Tingle_in_the_Spine|Wander by the Docks|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> This may cause issues with knowing one's present identity.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.fandom.com/wiki/Wrack:_Remembering|Quality status|Sunless Sea|}}</ref>

Interestingly, there's always a consistent theme in tether-visions: the people one can live through via tether are always accompanied by someone else, like a friend or lover.<ref name="tethered">{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/An_Audience_with_the_King|Recall a vision of Knives|Sunless Sea|}}</ref>
<ref name="yearning">{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/The_Fair_King%27s_Yearning|The Fair King's Yearning|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> Sometimes, two people may share the same tether-visions of each other: a meeting of sorts between the two in a different time and place.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/An_Audience_with_the_King#Interactions|The Fair King's Question|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> These couples are considered to be '''tethered''', should they meet outside of their visions, and the people of Wrack consider this evidence of a strong, fated connection.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/Wrack#Interactions|Visit the Royal Hull|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> It is also customary in Wrack for the recipient of the first gift exchanged between a tethered pair to bury said gift in [[Dahut]].<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/Wrack:_A_Wrack_Ritual#Qualities_description|Wrack: A Wrack Ritual|Sunless Sea|}}</ref>

==The Fair King==
{{Character|image1=fairkinggaz.png|caption1=The Fair King, the ruler of Wrack.|location=Wrack|allegiance=Independent|title1=The Fair King|relationships=Wrack's Queen<br>(adoptive parent, <br>deceased)}}
''"The wreckers fear and adore their King. With the right offering, you may be able to meet him."''<ref name="buy an audience">{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/Wrack#Interactions|Buy an audience with the Fair King|Sunless Sea|}}</ref>

''"Yes, your ships came. Promise them riches, promise them knowledge, promise them pretty toys - it's all the same! They come, and our stores replenish; the tether has new hulls to grow on. Take this gift of scrap to the priestess - look for me in the other times."''<ref name="ships came in">{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/An_Audience_with_the_King#Interactions|Have any of the ships you sent come in?|Sunless Sea|}}</ref>

Seemingly leaping straight out of a fairy tale, the beautiful '''Fair King''' leads the Wreckers from his throne room in the '''Royal Hull''' deep in Wrack.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/Wrack#Interactions|Visit the Royal Hull|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> The King's fairness doesn't just refer to his appearance; he notably goes without any special privileges during times of crisis, and is as such beloved by Wrack's populace.<ref name="state of city bad">{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/Wrack#Interactions|Consider the state of the city (Struggling)|Sunless Sea|}}</ref><ref name="buy an audience" /> This fairness goes both ways, however, as the King will still subject any idlers who neglect their work on the city's infrastructure to severe punishments,<ref name="state of city bad" /> and he'll also offer outsiders a taste of tether... for the price of luring ships to their doom.<ref name="ships came in" /> 

The Fair King is an extremely well-read individual thanks to his upbringing and usage of tether,<ref name="get to know king" /> and he is very knowledgeable of the secrets and politics of the Neath, often dedicating his time to analyzing charts and maps as well as to other studies.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/An_Audience_with_the_King#Interactions|Discuss business|Sunless Sea|}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/An_Audience_with_the_King#Interactions|Have any of the ships you sent come in?|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> He is also wheelchair-bound by the loss of his legs, which have been tanned and made into banners that hang on one of his walls.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/Wrack#Interactions|Sometimes, it happens in this way:|Sunless Sea|}}</ref>

===A Frozen Mirror ===
''"At the rear of his chamber, the Fair King keeps a mirror made of ice. It holds a reflection - neither yours nor his, but that of a narrow, bespectacled gentleman."''<ref name="approach mirror">{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/An_Audience_with_the_King#Interactions|Approach the mirror|Sunless Sea|}}</ref>

''"I am never sure what it is we are seeing. The gentleman's hopes? His fears? He certainly seems to have an ambitious imagination."''<ref name="see yourself">{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/The_Man_in_the_Mirror#Interactions|Try to see yourself|Sunless Sea|}}</ref>
[[File:Bourdain.png|thumb|100px|The Man in the Mirror]]
At the back of the Fair King's chamber is his greatest treasure, a mysterious frozen mirror taken from [[Frostfound]].<ref name="approach mirror" /><ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/An_Audience_with_the_King#Interactions|Ask the King to gift you the mirror|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> This mirror doesn't reflect the Fair King or anyone else in Wrack; rather it holds an image of a strange bespectacled gentleman.<ref name="approach mirror" /> It may also show a vision of a future where the [[Bazaar]] is a "blasted ruin" and "[[Death|DEATH]] HATH NO MORE DOMINION", or perhaps another future where the bespectacled man can share flasks of [[The Garden|Hesperidean Cider]] with men and women from the [[Surface]], for the cause of "liberty, equality, and eternity".<ref name="see yourself" /><ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/The_Man_in_the_Mirror#Interactions|Try to see the Man in the Mirror|Sunless Sea|}}</ref>

The person trapped within the mirror is [[Bourdain]] of the [[Seven Against Nidah]],<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/An_Audience_with_the_King#Interactions|Ambition: Can you have the mirror?|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> who sought to liberate and democratize immortality from the rule of the [[Presbyterate]] in the [[Elder Continent]].<ref name="see yourself" /><ref name="ask rejoin seven">{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/Bourdain_in_Ice#Interactions|Invite him to rejoin the Seven|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> Unfortunately, he was forced into hiding in Frostfound, where he was mysteriously absorbed into a slab of ice, hence his current predicament. Not that he really minds.<ref name="ask rejoin seven" />

==References==
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[[Category:Places]]
[[Category:The Unterzee]]
[[Category:Cited]]
[[Category:Formatted]]
[[Category:The Neath]]