 |
The following page is not properly cited as per our revamped content policy. Therefore, the article may contain information from speculative or non-canon sources. You can find out more about our citation policy here. |
"The Clay Men are cheap, strong, contented immigrant labour imported en masse across the Unterzee. Are they really clay? Well, that's a very personal question. They don't ask you if you're really meat."
"IN POLYTHREME THE BED I SLEPT ON WAS A SLAVE. THE ROOM WHERE I SLEPT WAS HACKED FROM SCREAMING STONE. THE WATER I DRANK BEGGED ME TO STOP. THEY PAID ME IN COIN THAT PLOTTED MY DOWNFALL. THE MEMORIES ARE TROUBLING. THIS PLACE IS BETTER."
Clay Men are living statues from the far-off land of Polythreme.
Are You Really Meat?[]
They come to London as workers, and you’ll often find them among the Docks hauling cargo. Though they have their own language, called Loamsprach, Clay Men can speak English. If you don’t recognize them by their grey countenances, you can instantly recognize one by his DISTINCT AND PECULIAR SPEECH PATTERN.
Many Clay Men reside in the Clay Warrens, which can be found under Ladybones Road. Though most Londoners treat these humanoids as second-class citizens, they are diligent and obedient workers who wouldn’t dare hurt anyone. So the next time you see your local Clay Coalman walking around, maybe smile and greet him. Or lend a hand. You see, he's very knowledgeable in all things Dangerous, and that kind of friendship can come in handy when navigating the city.
Note: if you think you see a Clay Man who’s missing a few pieces, be very careful. This is likely one of the Unfinished Men. And Unfinished Men are capable of awful things.
That being said, it can be difficult to distinguish between an Unfinished and a Clay Man who was simply wounded. This leaves the Clay Man as a whole one of the more mistrusted and oppressed factions of Fallen London, rivaled only by the Rubbery Men. Sadly, many unionized dock workers are rather irked that the Clay Men are replacing their jobs, leading to strikers destroying Clay Man shipments and occasionally smashing the poor things themselves.
Unfinished Men[]
"Unfinished Men are Clay Men who lack something - sight, a voice, a hand, conscience, obedience. You can't really tell a crippled Clay Man from an Unfinished Man, except that ordinary Clay Men are never criminals. The distinction, unfortunately, often evades Constables and citizens alike."
"Some say that the essential thing all Unfinished Men lack is compassion. That it is the first thing to go. That's why their limbs begin to fall off, their senses to decay. 'That compassion is part of every Clay Man's fabric, that it is London that wrings it out of them."
Unfinished Men are exactly what they sound like - Clay Men who are missing something, as described before. A couple of notable examples of these are Jasper and Frank, who work as enforcers for the Masters. It's never been expressly stated what the pair are missing, though.
However, despite this start, and their unfortunate reputation, not all of them are bad, and a few may even be helpful.
What Births Them[]
 |
Beyond this point lie spoilers for Fallen London, Sunless Sea, or Sunless Skies. This may include midgame or minor Fate-locked content. Proceed with caution. You can find out more about our spoiler policy here. |
Clay men are formed when the King with a Hundred Hearts has a dream, Unfinished Men are formed when the King has a nightmare. The King himself is a Clay Man (though he used to be a traveler from China), and he resides within Polythreme, ever still. Each Clay Man has a tiny shard of the Mountain of Light within his chest, which keeps him alive; said shard is a fragment of the larger shard within the King's heart. Hence, the "Hundred Hearts".
Historical Inspirations[]
The Clay Men are inspired by golems, which have featured in Jewish folklore since medieval times.
Original by NiteBrite/Mrs. Brite