Mr Apples

Beyond this point lie **major spoilers** for *Fallen London*, *Sunless Sea*, or *Sunless Skies*. This may include **endgame** or **Fate-locked** content. **Proceed at your own risk**.
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### Location

Fallen London
New London

### Affiliation

The Masters of the Bazaar
The Echo Bazaar

### Aliases

Mr Hearts
Apples
Hearts
The Chiropterous Hoarder
The Hoarder
Mr Barley (formerly)
The Khan of Roots
The Khan of Hearts
The Lord of Blood
The Paradisal Saint
The Saint of Flesh

### Related

Curators (species)

> *"Each life should follow its passion. We know our loves, and tend them on behalf of the Bazaar. This, at least, is an arrangement that satisfies all."*
>
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**Mr Apples** is a darkly cheery and overly familiar Curator who serves as a Master of the Bazaar. **Mr Hearts** is its alternate trade name in London.

In the *Sunless Skies* timeline, Mr Apples resides in the High Wilderness as the **Chiropterous Hoarder**.

## General Information

> *"Fruits, bread, vegetables, barley, horse mushrooms and so forth... Immortality."*
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Mr Apples governs trade in fruit, grain, vegetables, edible mushrooms, and wood. It also sells immortality and that which is immortal, such as Hesperidean Cider, a drink of eternal life that fetches a staggering price at the Bazaar.

Apples sometimes visits the Big Top of Mrs Plenty's Carnival, albeit under a disguise and with security. Despite the precautions, it is friendly to those it chooses to meet with, offering refreshments and gossip.

### Mr Hearts' Domain

> *"Fresh meats! Rich and red!"*
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Mr Hearts controls trade in all manner of meat, especially offal and exotic meats. It supplies Mrs Plenty's Carnival with the famous Rubbery Lumps. It is considered the finest butcher in London, and Hearts' butcher's tools are legendary among the city's chefs.

"Mr Hearts" is actually a trade name used by Mr Apples. This fact is kept secret from the public and they are typically considered two distinct Masters.

### The Hoarder's Predicament

> *"What are you? Why have you come? If you are a customer, I have nothing right now, nothing I want to sell."*
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In the *Sunless Skies* timeline, Mr Apples, now known as the Chiropterous Hoarder, resides in New London. It lives in a shop that once sold Hesperidean Cider, but its supply ran out, so the shop was closed and left disused. Since the Masters have been declared enemies of the empire, the Hoarder keeps a low profile.

### Other Names

> *"Raw meats, ripe and red! No, no wine. Not yet. Here, throw another skewer on the flame. There! The Saint on the Pyre, and the Saint of Flesh. And for my last trick — I'll throw this one in for free: the Paradisal Saint. Here, take a bite."*
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Mr Apples is rumored to have been called **Mr Barley** in the past.

During the Third City, Mr Hearts was known as the **Lord of Blood**.

During the Fourth City, Mr Apples was known as the **Khan of Roots**, and Mr Hearts was the **Khan of Hearts**.

In the *Sunless Skies* timeline, the Cult of the Sanctified at Avid Horizon named Mr Apples the **Paradisal Saint** and Mr Hearts the **Saint of Flesh**.

## Appearance

> *"Mr Apples' eyes are pinpricks of diamond-hard light in the inky tapestry of its hood."*
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> *"Swaddled in vermillion, it is a lean and spindly horror with the most velvety of ears."*
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As a Master, Mr Apples wears the standard attire of an all-encompassing hooded cloak and gloves to conceal its talons. Only its eyes are left visible. Mr Hearts is said to have an "unmistakable bulk."

As the Chiropterous Hoarder, it wears a red cloak that leaves its bat-like face and silhouette visible. Its claws are uncovered and it has dark-colored eyes.

## Personality

> *"Mr Apples seems delighted to see you. It presses honeyed wine on you and insists you try a variety of preserved fruits imported at tremendous expense from the Elder Continent."*
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> *"The Chiropterous Hoarder is initially distrustful of your exposition and then transported at this epiphany. Appreciation without condition! What a winsome novelty!"*
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Mr Apples has an affable and pleasant personality. It converses freely with its favored citizens of London, and has a warm and familiar demeanor. It has a fondness for gambling, reading, conducting experiments, and tinkering with machinery. Apples may be friendly, but it is still well-aware of its role and position as a Master. It will admonish those who overstep or question the Masters' administration.

Mr Apples is supposedly an ally of Mr Veils. It is familiar with fellow Curator Mr Barleycorn and has a fondness for the merchandise sold by Mr Menagerie. However, it harbors a strong dislike for Mr Pennies.

As a Master, Mr Hearts views its employment under the Bazaar as one of mutual benefit, as it sees itself free to pursue its passions and interests on the Bazaar's behalf. It views its work as beneficial to London; in its own words: *"London has such stories now! Salted with tears and spiced with the passions of the heart!"* It does not seem to have much fondness for the Curators that were once its fellows in the sky. It is aware of the Great Chain of Being, but given its forays into immortality and amalgamy, it does not seem interested in abiding by its restrictions.

As the Chiropterous Hoarder, Apples is still affable and is eager about its goals, but it is also nervous, suspicious, and insecure. It is unfamiliar with friendship and charity, and it sees these concepts as puzzling.

## Businesses

> *"Duck under an archway, mind the step, down a corridor, follow the smell of chilled blood. Mr. Hearts' Exotic Meats occupies a dark corner of the Emporium for good reason."*
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Mr Hearts has many businesses and products to its name. **Mr Hearts' Exotic Meats Counter** is an obscure stall in the Labyrinth of Tigers that is best avoided by the faint of stomach. It sells organs, bones, meats, and blood of an unknown source and grotesque form, with no regard for sanitation. Despite these unsettling details, the meats sold here still induce intense hunger...

After the Great Hellbound Railway established a station at Ealing Gardens, Mr Hearts opened butcher's shop there.

### Products

> *"This charming toy says: I love you, kill me. Or: join me in the game of Knife and Candle-Lit Dinners. Or: here is the key to my heart. Or: you wound me. A thousand messages, a single gift!"*
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Every year, Mr Hearts sends Mr Iron a **Key-to-Heart Dagger**. Mr Iron quickly auctions them off, making them available to the public. It is said that the reasons for this practice are encoded in the mysterious Crimson Book.

**Heart-Cuts** are a product sold during the Feast of the Exceptional Rose. They're various meats cut into heart-shapes and include an actual heart.

**Mr Hearts' Deviled Hearts** are sold at Mrs Plenty's Carnival during the Feast of the Exceptional Rose. Said to "fill the belly and fire the spirit," their unique blend of spices may cause a Correspondence sigil to appear in one's vision for a split second.

## Dwellings

> *"Mr Apples keeps its apartments on the ground floor of the Bazaar. You push the glass doors open – your sack limp on your back. Heavy airs unfold around you, hot, sweating and green."*
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*"A broad marble counter is strewn with knives and cleavers and gobbets of gristle. Carcasses hang from ceiling-hooks. The air smells of blood and peppery seasoning. A tuneless crooning emits from a hunched bulk. Is Mr Hearts committing a carol?"*

Mr Apples resides in rooms on the ground floor of the Bazaar that evoke both a greenhouse and a laboratory. These are filled with greenery and plants, including a Heart-Taker. In its lab, Apples experiments with immortality, creating oddities like a stuffed Bound-Shark plaque that is still alive, and a near-immortal entity contained within a jar.

Mr Hearts works in a large kitchen with meats and utensils strewn everywhere. Hearts experiments with new butchery tools here, creating gadgets like a machine for slicing meats or a failed device that inexplicably acts as a spell-checker.

## Empyrean Redolence

> *"Hell's army grows with each breath you draw! No time to waste. None at all. Right, you're here to help me with my beasts. I'm breeding hunting beasts. To hunt devils! They need to be strong, and vicious, and pious!"*
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> *"Mr Hearts produces a tatty square of supple leather from under its inky cloak and drops it on your table. Gaslights flicker as you scan the recipe. Cinnabar, hydrogen, salts of iron, tears of those who never loved... Your vision clouds to black as you read the parts written in the Correspondence. When you can see again, Mr Hearts is gone."*
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Within the Fourth Coil of the Labyrinth of Tigers stands a breeding facility managed by the Bishop of Southwark. He plans on leading a charge against Hell, and would like to have war-animals for his army. To this end, the Bishop wants to breed creatures from across the Neath with a "wings-of-thunder bat" in his barn, hoping to produce a suitable beast.

The "bat" in the barn is Mr Hearts in disguise. When the Bishop sends it an animal to "breed" with, Hearts apparently eats the animal alive and produces a new being immediately after. To "improve" the results of this process, Hearts developed a mysterious substance called **Empyrean Redolence**, consisting of "cinnabar, hydrogen, salts of iron," the "tears of those who never loved," and other ingredients or steps.

The reason for Mr Hearts' odd practice is unclear, but it seems to benefit the Masters in some way. As for the Bishop's plan, the Masters are wholly unconcerned.

## How Marvellous

> *"I was very old then. Lived too long, bored out of my gourd. I went to one of the Lords: the Lord of Blood. I beseeched it. Begged it to give me my heart's desire. The Lords, who had themselves grown restless, devised the game: the Marvellous.*
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During the Third City, a man from the First City begged Mr Hearts, then known as the Lord of Blood, to grant him his heart's desire. In response, Hearts along with the other Lords (Masters) devised the game called the Marvellous, finding six other players and using First City Coins as stakes.

As of the Fifth City, Mr Hearts personally supervises the final round of the Marvellous in the center of the Echo Bazaar.It also oversees the ceremony in which winners of the Marvellous receive their wish. Hearts holds the Marvellous to great esteem, but the other Masters do not share this sentiment and see it only as a distraction.

## The Skies

> *"The Wilderness – lush and velveted with so many treasures, so many hungry tastes. There were others with me, yes. But none of them were as clever as me. I know how to make immortality. I know how to make collections that last. And this is why I must be careful, be small now."*
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Mr Apples, like the rest of the Masters, is a Curator, a bat-like being who once roamed the High Wilderness in search of treasures for its hoard.

During the time before it arrived in the Neath, Mr Apples knew the ways of immortality and preservation. This got it into severe trouble with the rest of its kind, and eventually, Apples' transgressions forced it to serve under the Echo Bazaar to avoid "misfortune, failure, and fruitlessness."

### The Hoarder's Plan

> *"I tried once to hold immortality in a bottle. The cider. But it wasn't the same. My customers were convinced, but I knew the truth. You can't just drink eternity. It goes away, you see? But this is different."*
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In the *Sunless Skies* timeline, London was moved through the Avid Horizon to the skies. Most of the Masters stayed behind with the Bazaar in the Sixth City, but some, including Mr Apples, followed London to the High Wilderness.

Now known as the Chiropterous Hoarder, Mr Apples seeks to amass a collection of immortality, including immortal entities and aspirants. The Hoarder wants to become immortal itself to perfect its collection, letting it act as its crown jewel and eternal guardian.

## References

2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Mr Apples, *Fallen London*
3. ↑ Who is Mr Apples?, *Fallen London*
4. ↑ Incarnadine Fur Robe, *Fallen London* *"Mr Apples [...] It deals in [...] things which refuse to die."*
5. ↑ Firkin of Hesperidean Cider, *Fallen London*
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 ...an incognito Master?, *Fallen London* *"A [...] throng of neddy men menaces anyone coming too close. [...] Mr Apples seems delighted to see you. It presses honeyed wine on you and insists you try [...] preserved fruits [...] It whispers incautious gossip about the Masters [...]"*
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Mr Hearts, *Fallen London*
8. ↑ Incarnadine Fur Robe, *Fallen London* *"Mr Hearts [...] deals in exotic meat and specialises in offal [...]"*
9. ↑ Lu-umps! Get yer rubbery Lu-umps! Pride of the Neath!, *Fallen London*
10. ↑ Incarnadine Fur Robe, *Fallen London* *"Mr Hearts, [...] There is no finer butcher in London and its tools are hallowed whenever chefs gather and to talk [...]"*
11. ↑ 'How many Masters are there?', *Fallen London*
12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 ...an incognito Master?, *Fallen London*
13. ↑ Inquire after the other Masters, *Fallen London*
14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 Call for service, *Sunless Skies*
15. ↑ Ask about the Hesperidean cider, *Sunless Skies*
16. ↑ Story description, *Sunless Skies*
17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Ask about the other Masters?, *Sunless Skies*
18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Provide for a Feast, *Sunless Skies*
19. ↑ How many names do the Masters have?, *Fallen London*
20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Ask about the Marvellous, *Fallen London*
21. ↑ Ask him who he is, *Fallen London*
22. ↑ Climb aboard a waiting carriage, *Fallen London*
23. ↑ Dubious attribution, *Fallen London* *"The butcher Khan of Hearts, the farmer Khan of Roots."*
24. ↑ Accept and be anointed in the Cult of the Sanctified, *Sunless Skies*
25. ↑ You could just... you know... ask him, *Fallen London*
26. ↑ description, *Sunless Skies*
27. ↑ Who are the Masters of the Bazaar?, *Fallen London*
28. ↑ Mr Hearts has something for you (20 FATE), *Fallen London* *"Mr Hearts produces a [...] square of [...] leather from under its inky cloak [...]"*
29. ↑ Incarnadine Fur Robe, *Fallen London* *"Its glove is snatched into the mechanism. Mr Hearts' gloveless finger vanishes into its hood, from where you hear sucking. [...] Perhaps 'talon' would be better."*
30. ↑ You could just... you know... ask him, *Fallen London* *"Mr Apples' eyes are pinpricks [...] in the inky tapestry of its hood."*
31. ↑ Climb aboard a waiting carriage, *Fallen London* *"Waiting to greet you is the unmistakable bulk of Mr Hearts."*
32. ↑ Recruit the Chiropterous Hoarder, *Sunless Skies*
33. ↑ Ask about the Hoarder's luggage, *Sunless Skies*
34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 34.2 34.3 Compliment the Chiropterous Hoarder on its collection, *Sunless Skies*
35. ↑ Sit down next to Mr Apples, *Fallen London*
36. ↑ The Season of Stones, *Fallen London* *"Mr Hearts takes a volume [...] and considers drawings of charcuterie."*
37. ↑ 37.0 37.1 Incarnadine Fur Robe, *Fallen London* *"Mr Apples is hunched over a vast steel desk bristling with many-lensed contraptions. [...] This rare specimen is almost eternal [...]"*
38. ↑ Incarnadine Fur Robe, *Fallen London* *"Is Mr Hearts committing a carol? The Master is fiddling with a [...] machine [...]"*
39. ↑ The Season of Stones, *Fallen London* *"Ask the Masters what they are beholden to [...] Mr Hearts slams its catalogue [...] onto the table. "Never you mind!""*
40. ↑ The Season of Stones, *Fallen London* *"You do not toil in the factories. You enjoy the benefit of the Clay Men's work. Do not complain!"*
41. ↑ Who is Mr Apples?, *Fallen London*
42. ↑ Show it the seal of Mr Barleycorn, *Sunless Skies*
43. ↑ Ask if it knows Mr Menagerie, *Sunless Skies*
44. ↑ Ask if it knows Mr Pennies, *Sunless Skies*
45. ↑ Cloven Seal, *Fallen London*
46. ↑ A Conversation on the Road, *Fallen London*
47. ↑ 47.0 47.1 47.2 47.3 47.4 A secret about the Masters, *Failbetter Games*
48. ↑ The Season of Stones, *Fallen London* *"Mr Hearts places its book on the table; it taps an illustration of smoked ham. "Each life should follow its passion," [...] "We know our loves, and tend them on behalf of the Bazaar. This, [...] is an arrangement that satisfies all.""*
49. ↑ The Season of Stones, *Fallen London* *"Mr Iron flicks to a page in its ledgers. [...] the writing is minuscule, and the sums enormous. The Master scribbles [...] 'INDUSTRY THRIVES UNDER A FIRM HAND.' When Mr Hearts speaks, it sounds genuinely bewildered. "London has such stories now! Salted with tears and spiced with the passions of the heart!""*
50. ↑ 50.0 50.1 Traces of Veils the Curator, *Fallen London*
51. ↑ The Season of Stones, *Fallen London* *"Ask the Masters whether there are others of their kind [...] Mr Hearts asks [...] how much time remains."*
52. ↑ The Season of Stones, *Fallen London* *"The Great Chain [...] Mr Hearts nods. "We know our place. [...]"*
53. ↑ The Season of Stones, *Fallen London* *"Mr Hearts says "Continuity through conjoining disparate flesh.""*
54. ↑ "..end it, as I swore I would.", *Fallen London*
55. ↑ Level Change Descriptions, *Fallen London*
56. ↑ Investigate the Hoarder's work, *Sunless Skies*
57. ↑ Call for service, *Sunless Skies*
58. ↑ Talk about its interests, *Sunless Skies*
59. ↑ Recruit the Chiropterous Hoarder, *Sunless Skies*
60. ↑ Bring the Chiropterous Hoarder a gift, *Sunless Skies*
61. ↑ 61.0 61.1 Mr Hearts' Exotic Meats Counter (1 FATE), *Fallen London*
62. ↑ 62.0 62.1 Mr Hearts' Devilled Hearts, *Fallen London*
63. ↑ Mr Hearts' Exotic Meats Counter (1 FATE), *Fallen London* *"[...] this floor is simply scattered with dust. And the goods [...] large organs jumbled with impossibly contorted bones. Cuts of [...] meat [...] Buckets of blood [...] There is a small bat colony [...] next to a string of ancient, [...] sausages. [...] He has no interest in explaining what any of the meats are. [...] You are ravenous. You grab a chunk of meat at random [...]"*
64. ↑ Licensed by Mr Hearts, *Fallen London*
65. ↑ Key-to-Heart Dagger, *Fallen London*
66. ↑ Send a Key-to-Heart Dagger (10 FATE), *Fallen London*
67. ↑ Send a Key-to-Heart Dagger (10 FATE), *Fallen London* *"The Crimson Book, [...] supposedly details the reasons for Mr Hearts' yearly gift [...]"*
68. ↑ Send a Hamper of Heart-Cuts (5 FATE), *Fallen London*
69. ↑ Hamper of Heart-Cuts, *Fallen London*
70. ↑ 70.0 70.1 Incarnadine Fur Robe, *Fallen London*
71. ↑ Incarnadine Fur Robe, *Fallen London* *"Mr Apples keeps its apartments on the ground floor of the Bazaar."*
72. ↑ Incarnadine Fur Robe, *Fallen London* *"The rooms are something part greenhouse, part laboratory [...]"*
73. ↑ Incarnadine Fur Robe, *Fallen London* *"Heavy airs unfold around you, [...] green. A singular plant fills the chambers. [...] Bulbous fruit hang at head-height [...] Each wears a [...] face [...]"*
74. ↑ Incarnadine Fur Robe, *Fallen London* *"Mr Apples steps across [...] It carries a horror! [...] Hooked teeth and grey skin [...]"*
75. ↑ Mostly Stuffed Bound Shark, *Fallen London*
76. ↑ Incarnadine Fur Robe, *Fallen London* *"Take this. This rare specimen is almost eternal. [...] As you approach the jar, a shape lifts from the bottom [...] "I advise against letting it out.""*
77. ↑ Incarnadine Fur Robe, *Fallen London* *"Mr Hearts [...] The [...] Attendant leads you into a vast kitchen. [...] A [...] counter is strewn with knives and cleavers and [...] gristle. Carcasses hang from ceiling-hooks."*
78. ↑ Incarnadine Fur Robe, *Fallen London* *"Mr Hearts [...] is fiddling with a fiendishly intricate machine, [...] "Mr Sacks! Take this... device! I had hoped to use [...] for the fine slicing of meats [...] but it is entirely malevolent [...]"*
79. ↑ Incarnadine Fur Robe, *Fallen London* *"Mr Hearts [...] holding the [...] device [...] You [...] discover some kind of carcass. [...]As the carcass makes contact with the device, [...] Fleshy ribbons emerge from the other side [...]"*
80. ↑ The Butcher's Friend, *Fallen London*
81. ↑ Incarnadine Fur Robe, *Fallen London* *"Mr Hearts [...] is fiddling with a [...] machine, [...] Take this... device! [...] it is entirely malevolent [...]"*
82. ↑ Incarnadine Fur Robe, *Fallen London* *"Mr Hearts [...] is fiddling with a [...] machine, [...] It is [...] not a mandoline. [...] It's some kind of annotation contraption."*
83. ↑ A Semi-Autonomous Scrutinising Machine, *Fallen London*
84. ↑ 84.0 84.1 84.2 84.3 Turn left at the nun, *Fallen London*
85. ↑ Mr Hearts has something for you (20 FATE), *Fallen London*
86. ↑ The Hound of Heaven 2, *Fallen London*
87. ↑ Scout out the Fourth Coil, *Fallen London*
88. ↑ Sit down and wait for the Bishop to speak, *Fallen London* *"'I've got a wings-of-thunder bat [...] No use in itself, but I have high hopes of breeding it to good purpose. [...] 'Once you've caught it, return here. Your beast will require preparation before it is ready to breed [...]"*
89. ↑ Breed the Plated Seal 5, *Fallen London* *"The actual breeding happens in a stone barn [...]"*
90. ↑ What does the Bishop of Southwark keep in his barn?, *Failbetter Games*
91. ↑ Breed the Plated Seal 5, *Fallen London* *"The actual breeding happens in a stone barn, [...] Would 'engulfment' be more accurate? [...] Maybe 'dinner'. [...] Some time later something appears."*
92. ↑ Breed the Tomb-Lion 6, *Fallen London* *"The sounds that come from the [...] chamber [...] First the screams of your beast as the bat pulls it apart and consumes it, [...] Some time later, the trap door opens and something appears [...]"*
93. ↑ Mr Hearts has something for you (20 FATE), *Fallen London* *"We have seen your [...] work with the [...] Bishop. Such creatures! [...] In recognition of this work, we offer you [...] A formulation to make your beasts more delicious than ever! [...] you scan the recipe. Cinnabar, hydrogen, salts of iron, tears of those who never loved... [...] Your vision clouds to black as you read the parts written in the Correspondence [...]"*
94. ↑ A review of your work, *Fallen London*
95. ↑ Theological Husbandry, *Fallen London* *"Betray the Bishop's trust to the Masters [...] the fellow wishes to encroachiate with our infernal neighbours? That's hardly our concern [...]"*
96. ↑ Ask him who he is, *Fallen London*
97. ↑ Ask him who he is, *Fallen London* *"[...] I was born in the First," [...] I went to one of the Lords: the Lord of Blood," [...] "I [...] Begged it to give me my heart's desire. The Lords, [...] devised the game: the Marvellous. They found six others, [...] "We played for First City Coins. [...] to commemorate me."*
98. ↑ Ambition: Preparing for the Final Match, *Fallen London*
99. ↑ Ambition: in the Heart of the Bazaar, *Fallen London* '"Mr Hearts escorts you to the chamber that is reserved for the Marvellous [...] "Commence," says Mr Hearts [...]"
100. ↑ Hear Hearts' speech, *Fallen London*
101. ↑ Ask for Gregory Beechwood's heart's desire, *Fallen London* *""The Marvellous is a sacred—" Hearts begins, [...] "No, it isn't," says Stones. "It's an amusement. [...] Spices. "The Marvellous has been terribly diverting [...]"*
102. ↑ Curator, *Sunless Skies*
103. ↑ Investigate the Hoarder's work, *Sunless Skies*
104. ↑ Explore London, *Sunless Skies*
105. ↑ Approaching the Avid Horizon, *Sunless Skies*
106. ↑ Ask about the Hoarder's luggage, *Sunless Skies*
107. ↑ Talk about its interests, *Sunless Skies*
108. ↑ Watch as the Chiropterous Hoarder completes its task, *Sunless Skies*