"There are some things we were not meant to know, they say. But you wouldn't be down here if you took that seriously."
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"Our kind lives long. Much time for mistakes. Blessed place on Chain. Means mistakes can be mighty. These the oldest of us, oldest not willing to die. Come here to prolong life. Too much to fear from the darkness. The stories. Things on the river with chains and thorns. They choose agony of torpor over chance of consequences. This one... did things too. Now, sworn to protect elders. Penance. Maybe one day can find forgiveness. Until then, must stay and watch."[2]
After the House of Rods and Chains was slain by the Halved for disobedience, Mr Pennies fled its duties and took up residence in Lustrum.[4][5] Time has not been kind to it: it has a pathetic, ragged appearance,[6] and it hawks trinkets to buy hours in a manner that resembles panhandling more than sales.[7]
Pennies was once an acquaintance of the Masters of the Bazaar, but chose not to follow them to the Neath.[8][9] The Chiropterous Hoarder in particular loathes Mr Pennies and angrily hopes for it to die.[10] In general, Mr Pennies believes that Curators who serve the Messengers are asking for disappointment, as it claims they will never be rewarded for their loyalty.[11]
Mr Pennies has a hideout in the mountains near Lustrum that houses numerous elderly Curators.[12][13] These Curators were considered sinners by their kind, so they receive care from Pennies to avoid damnation after their deaths. Pennies itself is a sinner who views its duties as a form of penance,[14] and it is willing to fight off anyone who may threaten its patients' safety.[15][16]
The Death-Problem[]
"Shrivelled creatures hang from the ceiling in tattered cloaks and cradles of iron and bronze. Polished mirrors and glass lenses arranged around the bright light focus concentrated beams on each of the creatures. They twitch occasionally, but are otherwise immobile. Another of their kind, the one the people of Lustrum call Mr Pennies, moves between them in awkward, jolting steps. It salts their lips with hours and shuffles on."[17]
"Beyond skill to fix. Bought in trade, centuries ago. Filtered light of Judgement. Filtered out laws of death. Worked! But now, need alternative. Discovered Hours. More reliable, but temporary. Need more. Always more."[18]
Each Curator under Mr Pennies' care has a hoard of treasures they accumulated during their lifetime.[19] Pennies sells its patients' lesser treasures for hours at Lustrum, but permits them one extremely valuable item to hold onto during their age-induced torpor. Pennies then distributes hours to its charges to artificially prolong their lives, but this does little to alleviate their infirmity.[20][21] Pennies also doses itself with hours,[22] implying it may be starting to feel its age, or it fears growing elderly and losing its strength to serve.
Mr Pennies has a device of the Red Science that shines beams of light from a "wound in the world" onto each of its patients.[23] The exact mechanics of the machine are unclear,[24] but it is able to "filter" the Judgements' laws of death. Unfortunately, it is also malfunctioning,[25] and if its beams flicker for even a second, any Curators who rely on its light instantly die.[26][23] Mr Pennies obtained this device long ago in a trade, but lacks the skill to repair it, leaving it with no choice but to rely on hours as a temporary solution.[25]
↑Talk with Mr Barleycorn, Sunless Skies"There were seven of us, once. Outcasts, bound to this Messenger's service. But the Messenger defied the Halved's command, and the Halved slew it. We were free. My colleagues, fled."
↑Show Mr Barleycorn's seal, Sunless Skies"The cloaked figure beckons to you. "Valuables for sale," [...] "Exchange for buried time, yes? Please?" It offers unusual relics in exchange, or a few rusted coins that would barely buy transport to anywhere else."
↑Cloven Seal, Fallen London"One shard reads: 'Not to be forgot.' Another: 'What awaits. Why we must stay.' There are other words, hard to piece together: Pennies and Pipes; Barleycorn and Menagerie."
↑Incarnadine Fur Robe, Fallen London"It is unquestionably a token from Mr Menagerie: a sometime acquaintance of ours who chose, disjudiciously, not to accompany us to the Neath."
↑Ask if it knows Mr Pennies, Sunless Skies""I hope it dies," says the Chiropterous Hoarder, uncharacteristically ferocious. Fury beats so wildly in its throat that it does nothing for a minute, only strangles its neck with both hands. "I hope it dies, is allowed to lay down at last and be dead.""
↑Show Mr Barleycorn's seal, Sunless Skies"One of seven. Still loyal? Yes. Always loyal. Always waiting for reward. No reward for those who serve the Messengers. Always outcasts. Always disappointed."
↑Deep in the mountain, Sunless Skies"Shrivelled creatures hang from the ceiling in tattered cloaks and cradles of iron and bronze. [...] Another of their kind, the one the people of Lustrum call Mr Pennies, moves between them [...]"
↑Talk to Mr Pennies, Sunless Skies"Our kind lives long. Much time for mistakes. [...] "These the oldest of us, oldest not willing to die. Come here to prolong life. Too much to fear from the darkness. The stories. Things on the river with chains and thorns. They choose agony of torpor over chance of consequences. This one... did things too. Now, sworn to protect elders. Penance. Maybe one day can find forgiveness. Until then, must stay and watch."
↑Leave Mr Pennies' lair, Sunless Skies"Bargain to keep its secret [...] Mr Pennies dips its head. The hood falls away. His wings fill your vision and his claws hook into your chest. The monster surges through the caverns, taking flight. [...] Mr Pennies releases you. [...] You land in a freezing drift just feet away from a plateau of rocks that would have split you open like a burst sausage. A narrow escape."
↑Attempt to slip away, Sunless Skies"The monster that was Mr Pennies moves too fast to see clearly. Scabbed bat-wings unfurl; its cloak falls back to reveal— All you register is teeth, fury and torn velvet."
↑Curator, Sunless Skies"Curators accumulate hoards, which they guard violently. Each hoard collects artifacts or creatures themed to the Curator’s particular obsession."
↑Attempt to slip away, Sunless Skies"Mr Pennies [...] spreads Hours from a small pot between its various charges – in apparent exchange for the treasures at their feet. Each holds their most precious treasure tight to their chitinous chests; relics of distant worlds, the tears of dead suns, the final evidence of great shames."
↑Ask about the creatures' treasures, Sunless Skies"They clutch some tight. Others sit discarded on the floor under their heads. [...] "Most important memory of life. Will only let go after final breath. Smaller ones, they not matter so much. Sell for Hours in town. Hours keep flames of life glowing a while. [...] enough for existence. Enough to keep holding on."
↑ 23.023.1Deep in the mountain, Sunless Skies"Light pours through a crack in the wall. [...] The crack opens onto a large cavern where the world has been torn open. The wound casts the light, [...] Polished mirrors and glass lenses arranged around the bright light focus concentrated beams on each of the creatures. [...] The light flickers, just for a moment, but apparently a moment too long. A creature shivers and screams. In its death throes, it drops something it had clutched to its chest; a statue of sorts. Its last scream echoes [...]"
↑ 25.025.1Ask about the light array, Sunless Skies""Beyond skill to fix. Bought in trade, centuries ago. Filtered light of Judgement. Filtered out laws of death. Worked! But now, need alternative. Discovered Hours. More reliable, but temporary. Need more. Always more.""
↑Examine the wound in space, Sunless Skies""I think the light is keeping those creatures alive," whispers Melusine. "Remember what I said? Light is law. Usually. The Science is... it lets you rewrite the rules. All of them. Even death. But look, I don't think it's working."
