The Beachcomber

## GENERAL INFORMATION

**"***The Beach-Crow was flesh***"**
*Devouring Mysteries*

## OTHER TITLES

- The Beach-Crow

**WF Catalogue Entry**

 *'We call upon the Beachcomber,
 who sees what is lost;
 who opens the earth;
 to whom belongs
 what is not possessed'*

**The Beachcomber** is a thief, a spy, and a voyeur, though he claims his treasures are found, not stolen. He has been known to share some of his collected knowledge with others at times, and to help others in the discovery of hidden things. His aspects are Grail and Knock and his hour is 10 a.m.

## Events

* **On the Origins of Gods and Mortals:** There are several accounts of individuals having discussions and debates with the Beach-crow, in which he likely shares some of the secrets and knowledge he has gathered.
* **The Roost:** The Beachcomber is among the aviform Hours that gather to share rumour and gossip at a secret location called the Roost, though he is known to keep his most treasured secrets to himself. The Roost is relocated whenever someone overhears their conversations, but was originally located in Miah, and later hidden in the mountains north of Gordion.
* **Secret Couplings:** It is said that the Beachcomber has hidden the memories of secret couplings between Hours and their Names in the House, which are among his most prized treasures.

## Relationships

* **The Elegiast:** One of the aviform Hours which the Beachcombers meets with in the Roost, who takes the form of dove.
* **The Vagabond:** Another of the aviform Hours, who takes the form of a laughingthrush, though she is also associated with eagles.
* **The Sister-and-Witch/Witch-and-Sister:** Another of the powers of the air the Beachcomber gossips with at the Roost, who can be seen as a pair of twin Kites or funeral birds.

## Real-World References

* The Beachcomber takes the place of the Wheel of Fortune in the Tarot of the Hours. The Wheel of Fortune can represent luck, destiny, and change. It can also reflect the ever-turning cycles in a person’s life.
* Crows and ravens are often used across various mythologies as symbols of ill omen and bad luck, though they are also presented as messengers for the gods, psychopomps mediating between life and death, and even representations of prophecy and insight. This last connection is most obvious in several myths tying them to the greek sun god Apollo, who was also god of prophecy. There are two myths in particular that may have inspired the Beachcomber.
	+ In one legend, Apollo sent a white crow or raven to spy on his lover Coronis. The crow returned to inform the god that Coronis had been unfaithful to him, and in his rage Apollo turned the bird’s feathers black. This ties into the Beachcomber’s status as a voyeur, gossip, and collector of secrets.
	+ Another story describes a crow sent by Apollo to collect water for him. Rather than fulfill this task, the crow stopped to eat figs, then returned to Apollo with a snake in its claws, claiming that “Hydra” had prevented him from reaching the water. Apollo realized this was a lie, and punished the wayward bird by cursing it to forever thirst, and flung him into the sky where he became a constellation (Corvus) sitting atop the serpent (Hydra) with the Cup (Cater) just out of his reach.

## Other Notes

* The Beachcomber is the Hour invoked during the Rite of the Crow’s Quenching, in which he accepts a sacrifice at sunrise or moonrise and returns the gifts of the earth.
* In Orthos Wood, there is hidden a great oak tree that once served as a perch for a masked Crow. It is implied have served as the Roost for the aviform Hours at some point.
* When the player uses a Paradoxical Curio in Cultist Simulator, they bury it in the earth to heal a wound in history. They are seemingly rewarded by the Beachcomber for doing so and uncover an iron lock-box which contains a book for learning the Fucine language.
* According to the Weather Factory Catalog, "The Beach-Crow isn't just a flying Womble," and a passage is quoted from Numbers in which the earth opens and consumes a group of rebelling Israelites and all their possessions.
* The Beachcomber's aspects are confirmed by AK.
* The nest in the Beachcomber's tarot art contains objects which are likely references to the four aviform Hours. The compass is a tool of the Vagabond, the ornate jar matches those in the Elegiast's tarot art, the pearls are a common symbol of the Twins, and the mirror reflects the face of the Beachcomber himself.

## Theories and Questions

* While the Beachcrow is known to be a god-from-Flesh, details regarding his ascension are unknown. It's possible he is a literal crow that somehow became an Hour. It has been stated that only *most* Long were mortal humans, which implies that other beings can also ascend.
* There may be a  deeper connection between the Beachcomber and the Twins than simply being Hours which meet at the Roost in bird form. The Rite of the Crow’s Quenching was a replacement for another rite in honor of the Sister-and-Witch, and is obtainable through the Geminiad, a book entirely about the Twins. The use of the Paradoxical Curio to find a book for translating Fucine, a language tied to the Twins, is also curious, since the Beachcomber seems to be the one providing this gift.

## Sources

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 We call upon the Beach-Crow, to whom belongs what is not possessed
We call upon the Beach-Crow, who opens the earth
We call upon the Beach-Crow, who sees what is lost
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Read 'Birdsong'
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Devouring Mysteries
4. ↑ Five Creations
5. ↑ The Origins of Hours
6. ↑ Read 'The Book of the White Cat'
7. ↑ Read 'In The Mountains As Upon The Plain...'
8. ↑ Guise: Eagle
9. ↑ The Rite of the Crow's Quenching
10. ↑ Orthos Wood
11. ↑ Beginning an Expedition: Orthos Wood
12. ↑ The Memory of Crows
13. ↑ Bury a Paradoxical Curio by the River
14. ↑ WF10: The Beach-Crow
15. ↑ Source, original message