Editing Wrack

{{Neath_Location|image1 = Wrackgaz.png|caption1 = A city of sunken ships. Art from Sunless Sea.|image2 = Wrack_large.png|caption2 = An arbour of shipwrecks. Concept Art from Sunless Sea.|location = [[The Unterzee|Stonesoul Isles]]|alias = The City of Delights|allegiance = The Wreckers|music = [https://failbettergames.bandcamp.com/track/lowlands Lowlands]|notable_inhabitants = The Fair King

Bourdain|port=Wrack}}''"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 = "wrack">{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/Wrack|Wrack|Sunless Sea|}}</ref>

== Sunken Delights ==

<i>'We found Wrack, and were safe from the wreckships that had hunted us. But there are sweeter dangers in the City of Delights. We had a taste of the tether-weed, and in order to have more we sold such parts of our ship as we could hope to manage without. It need only get us to the next port.'</i><ref name = "watery journal">{{FLCitation|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 lure unsuspecting vessels to plunder for loot and add to the city.<ref name = "wrack">{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/Wrack|Wrack|Sunless Sea|}}</ref><ref name = "state of the city">{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/Wrack:_The_State_of_the_City|Wrack: The State of the City|Sunless Sea|}}</ref>

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 ship or be sunk itself, but even a destroyed Wreckship is dangerous; its inhabitants, like the ship itself, have an annoying habit of playing dead when boarded.<ref>{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/You_have_defeated_a_Wreckship|You have defeated a Wreckship|Sunless Sea|}}</ref><ref>{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/Wreckship#You_have_defeated_a_Wreckship|Send a boarding party|Sunless Sea|}}</ref>

Above the Zee, the Wreckers have a more devious methodology. They travel from port to port to lure ships loaded with riches to the waters above Wrack,<ref>{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/Wrack#Interactions|Go Wrecking!|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> using a combination of carefully crafted poems, lies,<ref name = "port report">{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/Wrack#Interactions|Compile a Port Report|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> and fantasies of riches and wonders to ensure potential marks are thoroughly enthralled and unsuspecting.<ref>{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/Isle_of_Cats#Port_Cavendish|Save the smugglers from Wrack|Sunless Sea|}}</ref><ref>{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/Polythreme#Port_interactions|Warn some merchants about Wrack|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> Once the victims arrive at Wrack, their ships are promptly destroyed by underwater minefields,<ref>{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/Port_Carnelian#Port_interactions|Warn the adventurers of Wrack|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> and the sunken ships are then added to the city's structure while their treasures are used to contribute to the city's ever-dwindling resources.<ref name = "state of the city">{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/Wrack:_The_State_of_the_City|Wrack: The State of the City|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 the '''Queen''' of Wrack before starting her career as an under-zee pirate to claim further territory and expand the city.<ref name = "archive">{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/Discoveries_in_the_Ivory_Archives|Unearth a heroic tale|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> The Queen lacked an heir, so she adopted a child who was orphaned after their ship was sunken. The child would later receive tutelage in a variety of subjects before becoming the new ruler of Wrack, following the Queen's death.<ref name = "get to know king">{{FLCitation|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>

== Tethered Lives ==

''"There is a weed that grows on the broken ships: to taste it is a privilege reserved for successful wreckers."''<ref name = "taste tether">{{FLCitation|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">{{FLCitation|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 name = "taste tether">{{FLCitation|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>{{FLCitation|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 tether can be highly addictive, similar to [[Prisoner's Honey]].<ref name = "provide for priest">{{FLCitation|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>{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/The_Fair_King%27s_Yearning#Interactions|Kiss the Fair King|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> present,<ref name = "paisley pillow">{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/Visions_with_the_Cup#Interactions|...a paisley pillow|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> or even the future.<ref name = "sky">{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/Visions_with_the_Knife|...the smell of the lamp|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> These visions may take place on the [[Surface]],<ref>{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/Visions_with_the_Bone|Visions with the Bone|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> or as far as the reaches of the [[High Wilderness]].<ref name = "sky">{{FLCitation|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 specific memento, and specified further by clearing one's mind and focusing on a certain object or aspect of one's surroundings during consumption.<ref>{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/Knife,_Cup,_or_Bone%3F|Knife, Cup, or Bone?|Sunless Sea|}}</ref><ref>{{FLCitation|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"/>

But there's always a consistent theme in these tether-visions: the people one can live through via tether are always accompanied by someone else, like a friend or lover.<ref name = "tethered">{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/An_Audience_with_the_King|Recall a vision of Knives|Sunless Sea|}}</ref>

<ref name = "yearning">{{FLCitation|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>{{FLCitation|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>{{FLCitation|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>{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/Wrack:_A_Wrack_Ritual#Qualities_description|Wrack: A Wrack Ritual|Sunless Sea|}}</ref>

== The Fair King ==

''"The wreckers fear and adore their King. With the right offering, you may be able to meet him."''<ref name = "buy an audience">{{FLCitation|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">{{FLCitation|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>{{FLCitation|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">{{FLCitation|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 small 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, usage of tether,<ref name = "get to know king"/> and high-ranking position, 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>{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/An_Audience_with_the_King#Interactions|Discuss business|Sunless Sea|}}</ref><ref>{{FLCitation|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>{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/Wrack#Interactions|Sometimes, it happens in this way:|Sunless Sea|}}</ref>

''"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">{{FLCitation|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">{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/The_Man_in_the_Mirror#Interactions|Try to see yourself|Sunless Sea|}}</ref>

At the back of the Fair King's chamber is his greatest treasure, a most mysterious frozen mirror taken from [[Frostfound]].<ref name = "approach mirror"/><ref>{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/An_Audience_with_the_King#Interactions|Ambition: Can you have the mirror?|Sunless Sea|}}</ref><ref>{{FLCitation|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 you or the Fair King, but rather it holds an image of a strange bespectacled gentleman.<ref name = "approach mirror"/> The mirror 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]] "in the spirit of liberty, equality, and eternity".<ref name = "see yourself"/><ref>{{FLCitation|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]], who sought to liberate and democratize immortality from the rule of the [[Presbyterate]] in the [[Elder Continent]].<ref name = "see yourself"/> 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>{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/Bourdain_in_Ice#Interactions|Invite him to rejoin the Seven|Sunless Sea|}}</ref>

<references/>

[[Category:Formatted]]