Whales

Whales are enormous waterbound creatures in the world of the Dishonored franchise that are hunted for their blubber, meat, bones, and most importantly, their oil.
==Characteristics==
Described as "creatures of beauty and sadness", whales are supernatural animals, associated with natural wonder, spirituality, and aesthetics.Developer Commentary – Whales and the Outsider They have multiple fins running down their sides, large, sharp teeth, and barbels hanging from their maws. 
In detail, they sport four fins in total, one set of which is larger and sits pectorally while the other set is smaller and located on the pelvis. The four barbels that attach just behind their eyes sit in line with the upper jaw and are grouped into two sets of two, one set on each side of their bodies. Literary sources imply there might be individuals with even more barbels than just four, as reference has been made to a "mass of tentacles [hanging] around [one whale's] mouth"Whale Vivisection. Their bodies are a dark blue color on top and a lighter cream or grey color on the bottom. Some individuals have ten to twelve brown stripes running perpendicularly across the top of their bodies while others can be seen with solid colored bodies but pockmark-like bumps covering the top of their heads. Their eyes are round, with blue or yellow sclerae and black, circular pupils. Unlike extant real life whales, which feature only teeth or baleen, whales in the Dishonored franchise have teeth and baleen running along the inside of the upper jaw, enabling them to both filter feed and catch and kill larger prey. Their oil is stored in an organ located in the pelvic region. They notably do not have a single, fused blowhole on the back, as real life whales do, but rather retain two. Each of these blowholes is located on the side of the head beside each eye. This placement would make it necessary for the whale to rotate, lift its head out of the water or perform some other physical maneuver to expose at least one nostril to the air in order to breathe. Despite the lack of identifiable blowhole on the back, whales can occasionally be spotted blowing air from their backs, although how or why this happens is unknown. 
Whaling trawlers hunt them in great numbers for their oil, which is the main source of energy in Gristol, Karnaca, and other places. Due to the prevalance of whaling, whale meat is one of the more common dishes in the Empire, and can be found in many kitchens, while canned products such as Potted Dabokva Whale Meat is also popular. Whale bones, as a byproduct, can be found in many places, and sometimes used to as treats for Wolfhounds. Unbeknownst to most people, however, their bones are also prized for the creation of runes and bone charms.
While whales are seen as dangerous and violent animals by most, there are a few people who perceive them as intelligent creatures, such as Pacotti and natural philosopher Douglas Church. They are also seasonal creatures, migrating around the world for the best food.
==The Knife of Dunwall==
The Knife of Dunwall DLC features a whale slaughterhouse with a live whale attached to a life-sustaining invention of Anton Sokolov that is designed to maximize its output of whale oil. If he so chooses, Daud can electrocute the whale to end its suffering.
In order to follow Granny's Recipe, which can be found in the first section of the mission A Captain of Industry, Daud must remove the eye of the whale after triggering the electroshock.
==Death of the Outsider==
Several whales can be found floating in the part of the Void known as the Ritual Hold, circling the resting place and physical body of the Outsider. Also, an audiograph can be found in the cultist's headquarter, in which one cultist speaks about the song of the whales.
==Trivia==
*Piero Joplin claims to have read about "land-going whales deep in the Pandyssian interior".
*The whales of the Dishonored franchise share several characteristics with the Livyatan melvillei, an extinct species of ancient sperm whale, the most obvious similarities being the large crown of the head and shape of the jaws. The in-universe whale is also sometimes referred to as a "leviathan", which was the original scientific name of the L. melvillei.
*Whales exist in the physical world and the Void simultaneously.Developer Commentary – Whales and the Void
*While only the uniformly blue variant of the whale can be encountered up close in Dishonored 2 and Death of the Outsider, the "classic" striped kind can be seen hanging from various whaling trawlers in Karnaca Bay.
==Gallery==
Whale render small.png|Render of a whale in Dishonored.
2 concept art whales.png|Concept art featuring a variety of whales.
2 concept art whales2.png|Concept art of a whale.
Concept art whale.png|Concept art.
Whale sections.jpg|Whale section drawing.
Whale meat.jpg|Whale meat.
KoD whales.jpg|Dead whale textures.
KoD whale.jpg|Unfinished and finished versions of the whale in Rothwild Slaughterhouse.
Leviathan.png|A whale spotted in the Void.
Physiology.png|Whale physiology by Doctor Galvani.
Whale.jpg|A whale, hanging from an H-frame crane on a whaling trawler.
Whaling Trawler1.png|A hooked-up whale against the sunlight.
Samuel Beechworth looking at the Whale.png|Samuel looking at a whaling trawler.
Statue.png|A whale statuette.
Mystery foe whale.jpg|A statue of a whale.
Whale Statue.png|A whale statue in the Boyle Mansion.
Whalecarving.jpg|A carving of a whale in the Dunwall sewers.
Grannyragswhale.jpg|A carcass of a whale, seen above Granny Rags' hideout in the sewers.
Void, whale and trawler.png|A whale and whaling trawler in the Void.
Whalebones1.png|Whale bones in a dumpster outside the Rothwild Slaughterhouse.
Whales1.png|A whale hanging from the Rothwild Slaughterhouse.
0 slaughter whales.png|Dead whales hanging from the building.
Whale and Butcher.jpg|A Butcher walking around a whale in Slaughterhouse Row.
Rs whale02.png|Closeup of a whale.
Captured whale A Captain of Industry The Knife of Dunwall.png|Captured whale in Rothwild Slaughterhouse.
Rs whale01.png|A whale in the Rothwild Slaughterhouse.
Rs whale03.png|Front view of a whale.
Dyingwhale.png|A view of the underside of a whale.
Whalemeat.png|A Butcher cutting whale meat.
D2 gameplay trailer, whale.png|A captured whale in the Dishonored 2 gameplay trailer.
File:Striped whale Karnaca.png|Striped whale on a whaling trawler in Karnaca Bay.
Surfaced Whale.png|A whale on the surface of the ocean near Karnaca.
Diving Whale.png|The same whale, diving.
File:Whale Dunwall harbor.png|Whale spouting beneath Dunwall Tower in 1852.
Souvenir 5.png|A broken sword made of whalebone.
Impression of the Void n˚3.jpg|A whale in the Void, painted by Eleuterio Cienfuegos.
Whale illustration.jpg|An illustration of a whale.
File:Whalebone shape 1.jpg|Raw Whalebone.
File:Whalebone shape 2.jpg|Raw Whalebone.
File:Whalebone shape 3.jpg|Raw Whalebone.
==References==
de:Wal
es:Ballenas
ru:Левиафаны
pl:Wieloryby
fr:Baleines
it:Balene
zh:鲸鱼
Category:Animals