Sallow
From Changeling Venue
| Seeming | Fairest Muse |
|---|---|
| Court | Autumn Court ••••• |
| Freehold | Essex |
| Player | Ben Bleach |
Contents |
Overview
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Ever humble, ever polite, it would be easy to forget that the changeling known as Sallow is member of the Court of Autmun, were it not for how simply unnerving he is. His eyes are always bright, his thin smile is ever present and his hands are always clasped in some clammy embrace.
He would consider it rude, "above his station" even, to ever drop his Mask in the presence of other Changelings, but those who've seen the face beneath it do not easly forget the pallid, jaundiced skin, split like the peel of overripe fruit. Skin cut into thin leathery strips that curl at the edges, half peeled from the soft, fatty flesh beneath, and eyes that gleam with a sickly gloss and slink about in hollow sockets.
The Past
Forgotten History
Sallow has no memory of his life before his abduction, not even his real name. Whether he was tinker, tailor, soldier or sailor, whatever his hopes and dreams, fears and loves, all of that is gone now. The man he was before was utterly destroyed beyond the Hedge.
It's possible, of course, that somewhere out there is a little man made from sticks and tatters, a fetch with Sallow's old name. What that name is, or where that fetch lies, however, seems of no importance to Sallow. More than that, the Yellow Man doesn't seem to understand why it should be important to him.
An Inhabitant of Carcosa
"For there be divers sorts of death -- some wherein the body remaineth; and in some it vanisheth quite away with the spirit. This commonly occurreth only in solitude (such is God's will) and, none seeing the end, we say the man is lost, or gone on a long journey -- which indeed he hath; but sometimes it hath happened in sight of many, as abundant testimony showeth. In one kind of death the spirit also dieth, and this it hath been known to do while yet the body was in vigor for many years. Sometimes, as is veritably attested, it dieth with the body, but after a season is raised up again in that place where the body did decay."
The Yellow Man
Sallow's first recognised appearance in changeling society was at his induction into the Ashen Court, when he was presented by his current "master", Kruger. His introduction was, to say the least, unconventional. Having conducted no research of his own, he instead presented the court with what he considered to be materials to aid in their own studies. These "materials" included:
- Six pairs of human sclera, carefully removed. Two were from subjects exposed, by pledge, to changeling ensorcellment, another two pairs from pledges where the ensorcellment had "soured" and two were apparently from individuals who had had no interaction with changelings at all prior to encountering Sallow. Whether their removal was carried out post-mortem or else wise is unclear.
- A file containing a number of Polaroids - photographs of the children currently in care at a home for those suffering from a variety of mental conditions. According to Sallow, "unable to fully articulate their fears to their carers, their terror was quite...unique."
- A series of jars containing the hearts of those exposed to the Yellow Man's talents.
- A human tongue, carefully wrapped in newspaper. According to the report, this had belonged to a member of the civil service who had asked a great many questions. Sallow saw little use for it, but felt that it should not go to waste.
Some insist that the above list is far from exhaustive, but there is no record and Sallow himself will dismiss any additional items only as "sundries".
Simon Whist
Sallow has since settled in Essex, and has taken the mortal name of "Simon Whist" to help facilitate his duties as manservant and chamberlain to the Autumn Monarch. It's unclear if the name has any personal significance to Sallow, but given the limits of his memory, it's unlikely. He also serves Kruger's ascociate and Winter Queen, Witte Wieven, and it's rumoured that she's offered him the position of "Steward" of the Freehold.
In the end though, there is no more loyal and humble a servant of the Freehold and of the Autumn Court than Sallow.
Associations & Associates
- Master Kruger, Draconic Fairest of the Court of Autumn.
Autumn King and Sallow's Master, to whom he is unflinchingly loyal. Master Kruger seems happy enough with Sallow's work, but often appears... tired, perhaps.
- Madam Wieven, Antiquarian Darkling of the Court of Winter.
Queen of Winter and a close associate of Master Kruger's, she seems happy enough to have Sallow around, if only to pour her scotch and manage her growing collection of leeches.
- Mister Sam, Mannequin of the Court of Spring.
King of Spring, and a curiously jubilant fellow, Mr. Sam shows an attentiveness that rivals Sallow's own. In fact, he's shown a particular interest the Yellow Man, something that would surely worry Sallow, were he anyone else.
Inspirations
I’m not really sure where the character of Sallow came from, but the following inspired patches of his background.
- Bierce, Ambrose G., An Inhabitant of Carcosa (1891).
- Chambers, Robert W., The Repairer of Reputations (1895).
- von Goethe, Johann W., Faust: der Tragödie (1832).
Quotes
- "Quite possibly the most curious thing ever to have crossed my path. I worry about him... for him.. sometimes, but he does make exceedingly good tea." - Witte Wieven
- "From what I hear, this guy's even more of a weirdo than his Master. I worry about the company my Witte keeps sometimes..." - Brawlin' Bram
- "Ok, ok. I've actually met the guy now. I can officially say he's even wierder than his master. Seems like a handy enough bloke to have around though" - Bram Stoneham
- "Oh Bram, do reel it in a little, hmm? He's a harmless enough fellow" a Pause "Unless you were a chocolate Bourbon, i suppose" - Dancing Jack
- "I guess some of us escape the thorns just to run headfirst into chains. Poor bastard" - Steampunk
Rumours
- Kruger found Sallow in a mortal dream, silently watching the sleeper. The Yellow Man has followed him ever since.
- Before his abduction, Sallow was Senen Belach, a German tailor supposedly killed on November 9th, 1938.
- His real name really is "Simon Whist", but he's been missing since 1895.
- He likes Jazz.
- "He's creepy as all hell. Especially if he has been instructed to make a person feel comfortable."
- It was once jokingly suggested that Sallow should name each of Witte's leeches. Two days later, she found a list of names to the tune of “Fluffy”, “Floppy”, “Peter”, and “Fluffy Too”, neatly handwritten. Apparently Sallow had entered the dreams of a young girl, presented her with hundreds of rabbits to name, and had then taken notes…
- ...Mopsy has since died.
OOC Information
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