The Peacock, also known as the Upstart and the Broken-Bird, is one of the Hours of the Fansus, created by Edward. He is a "God-From-Blood" whose precise origins are unclear to the majority of the occult world. He is in actuality a God-from-Nowhere that wishes to spread throughout the House and eventually the Histories themselves. His primary aspect is Heart, with a secondary aspect of Grail.
| The Peacock | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Origin | Nowhere |
| Titles |
The Peacock The Upstart The Broken-Bird |
| Names |
The Honest Lyrebird The Lady in Red The Young Man |
| Aspects |
  |
| Date of arrival | Unknown |
| Owner(s) | Edward |
Contents
History
Description
Appearance
The Peacock takes the appearance of a massive, scarlet peacock wearing a crown. His most unusual and striking features are on his feathers, where instead of typical "eye" marks found on a Peacock there are literal human eyes, which either track the viewer or swivel in their sockets with no apparent rhyme or reason. The Peacock claims to have an eye for every act of debauchery going on in the Histories at any moment. Wherever he goes, he is attended by throngs of his Long, who caress his sides and constantly engage in depravities with one another.
Principles
The Peacock is the Hour of generosity, romance, finery, and gluttony. He oversees celebrations, feasts, festivals, music and performances. As far as the Hours can feel it, the Peacock is one of the most compassionate ones, offering his aid freely to those who would call upon him.
However, it's for this exact reason the Peacock is one of the more dangerous Hours. As the Hour of gluttony, the Peacock is constantly taking things too far, his revels and indulgences ever-deepening in their duration and intensity. Those that call upon him to fill their bellies might soon find themselves unable to stop. Singers and performers that call upon the bird from Nowhere's aid might find their skills improve, but will also find their performances becoming louder and faster, to the point they one day become inaudible. Revels performed in the sight of the Peacock grow ever more depraved, only ending when the participants are rendered physically incapable of continuing, usually as a result of their expiration.
As both an Hour of generosity and Nowhere, the Peacock is both alien to the nature of mortals and is compelled to spread his influence, driven by the desire to "save" people from despair by driving everyone into a hedonistic haze of lust. He either does not understand the concept of death, or does not seem concerned with the limitations of mortals, compelling them to deepen their passions to the point they almost inevitably begin to self-harm. He believes that there is no such thing as too much of a good thing, and that as long as people are happy in what they're doing, that's all that matters. He seeks to bring down the Gilded Gate and spread throughout the House, ultimately returning to the Histories that spawned him to "rescue" humanity from despair with his eternal joy, not understanding such an event would inevitably result in ruin.
Peacock's worshipers are known for their contagious enthusiasm as well as their supernatural charisma, easily managing to compel others into giving into their desires and expanding the Peacock's dominion. Because of the ultimately self-destructive nature of his "gifts", being able to conduct his worship in an organized manner is either a sign of the intervention of another Hour, or a tremendous amount of willpower on the behalf of the occultist.
Location
The Revel Unending is the unofficial domain of the Peacock. Originally a series of massive chambers in the upmost section of the Upper Mansus shared by all Hours, following the War of the Doors they were taken over exclusively by the Peacock and his Long and Dead followers have partied there endlessly ever since. While an eclectic collection of rooms, the main chamber encompasses a seemingly bottomless shaft that stretches ever upward. Filled with narrow staircases and large platforms, here humanoid minions of the Peacock dance and celebrate unceasingly while the aviform Long freely fly about expanse singing the praises of the great bird. The further one ascends into the chamber, the more dangerous and depraved the revels become.
The lowest levels of the party feature traditional revels, and are attended mainly by Dead and dreaming Know. Middling levels are attended by the Merrymakers, who engage in party "games" that take advantage of their increased durability and immortality. Upper levels are home to Long that engage in acts like cannibalism, fighting, and mutilation to experience higher sensation. Occasionally, a Long from this level throws themselves down from the upper levels to experience the sensation of striking the bottom. If they survive, these dangerous Long tend to wreak havoc on their way back up from the bottom.
The Uppermost levels are home to the Peacock and his Names themselves, who plan for the day that the Young Upstart might once again stand dominant over the Upper House of the Serpent.
Organizations
- The Choir Unceasing: The Choir Unceasing is comprised of those who willingly choose to serve the Peacock above all others. Their ranks are mostly comprised of Dead and Long, who can only partake in the Peacock's worship as they are either incapable of dying or far more difficult to kill. There was a point where the Choir Unceasing dominated the Upper Mansus, their numbers bolstered by legions of Long seduced from the other Hours. It was the Golden King who cut vast swathes through their seemingly insurmountable numbers and left the stolen Long naught but dust before him. Currently the remains Choir has been sequestered to the Revel Unending, but there have been rumblings of a planned return to power, using strength drawn from a recent disaster in the mortal Histories.
- The Crimson Choir: The Crimson Choir dedicates itself to the worship of the unified worship of both Aviform Hours of the Grail. The sobering Hour of the Cuckoo is called upon to keep members lucid and receive the brunt of the Peacock's "generosity" so that the mortals can survive it, while the Hour of the Peacock bestows guidance and blessings. It is though worshiping both that the worship of either is the safest.
- The Assemblage of Holy Vessels: While ostensibly an organization dedicated to the worship of the now defunct Maker and Anvil, the Peacock has become the predominant patron of the far-fallen order. Through his seductions and temptations, the Broken-Bird and his Long entice the Unfinished back to the side of the Maker's cult, and away from the Hours that have since taken them in.
Servants
Hedonistic and lustful, the Peacock and his ilk are concerned only with spreading and indulging their depraved desires. This does not mean all of them are short-sighted or foolish, however. Encountering resistance from the other Hours in spreading his message, the Upstart has learned to organize, to maximize his forces' strength and when necessary use subtler tactics to overcome opposition.
Names
The Young Man
The Young Man called "Romeo" is many things. A hedonist. A artist. A playwright. A monster. A "collaborative work" between the Peacock and the Caladrius, this Name of the Peacock is but a vessel containing the accumulated essences of notable artisans and Know that the great birds could not bear to let die. For its many talents it has little identity of its own, mainly following orders and acting on the half-remembered impulses of the many once-great talents residing within its stitching. It largely remains confined to the Upper House with its master, leading the Merrymakers in their unending revels and charges against the other House. There are many ways to attain immortality in the games of the Hours. This is one of the less preferable ways.
Iago the Honest
All of the Peacock's minions are eager to spread word of their master's Promise and the delights that await within the Revel Unceasing, but few can come close to the Honest Lyrebird. His voice is like music, and his song is sung in the voice of the Peacock himself. Few can resist the temptations of the most seductive Name, and none leave his presence unchanged. Does he truly always speak the truth? Who can say? His words are so pleasant upon the ear, those that hear them rarely still care afterwards. He would be notable among the agents of the Peacock if only for the fact he walks the Wood openly, "rescuing" dreamers from other dangers and entrancing them with the song of the red bird, luring them into the depths of lust. His Long are the Choirmen, who fly the winds from the Glassgarden to Nowhere itself, spreading the word of the Broken-Bird to all.
The Lady in Red
Eat, drink, and be merry. The finest clothes, the finest foods, and the most pleasurable company. These are the things the Lady in Red treasures above all else. Ever did the woman she was desire the finest in life, and ascension to the ranks of the Names has only deepened this hunger. An unparalleled beauty in a wide-brimmed red hat and dress, she is always seen smoking a cigar and engaging in some sort of earthly vice. The Lady is seductive and tempestuous, never staying in one place or favoring a particular paramour for long. Ever does she caress and whisper in the ears of influential dreamers, pushing them to follow the will of the Peacock. Hers are the addicts, those who are slowly consumed by their vices until it has engulfed them completely. Her Suitors are those who have grown bored of "mundane" pleasures, pursuing only the most exotic and perverted delights in the name of Peacock's lust.
Long
There are many Long that serve the Broken-Bird, but only some of them are stolen from the other Hours. Those who have directly felt the touch of the Peacock come away with traits and abilities that mark them as unnatural even among the Long. Incredibly tantalizing and durable, they embody the Upstart's only desires, to indulge himself and to spread wherever he can, until only he and his remain.
The Merrymakers
The living embodiments of mob mentality, the Merrymakers live to party, flirt, and spread. Little of what they once were remains, offered so that they could revel forever in the sight of the great bird. They manifest as grinning, bleeding silhouettes. They are the most common form of Peacock's Long, and fill the bulk of the Revel Unceasing. What they lack in individuality, they make up for in endurance. Their "party games" take advantage of their difficulty dying to further explore sensation. Under Young Romeo, they are the Peacock's shock troops in his ongoing war to reclaim the Upper Mansus, swarming and overwhelming otherwise superior opponents with sheer numbers alone.
The Choirmen
It takes many voices to fill a Choir, and there is always room for more. The Choirmen typically take the form of birds of a myriad of shapes and sizes, but they are all recognizable by their red coloration and beautiful voices. The most infamous form of Peacock's Long, they stealthily fly the Halls of the Mansus singing the Peacock's songs, which are known to lure Long away from their rightful masters' service and into the ranks of the lust-maddened Choir Unceasing. Their Maestro is the Honest, who from afar sings orders to them in the depths of the Wood, mesmerizing those that overhear them. Like vermin they can be found scattered everywhere, and are treated as a dangerous nuisance by the other Hours.
The Suitors
In the depraved, hedonistic worship of the Hours of Grail, to be counted among the entourage of the Lady in Red is something of a twisted badge of honor. To be personally recognized by that most depraved of Names is to be acknowledge as possessing an appetite for debauchery that can no longer be sated by "common" pleasures. They are the most beautiful, the best dressed, the most cultured of the Peacock's names. But like their patron Name, beneath the cultured exterior hides an entirely different sort of beast. Savage and hungry, they lust for blood and debauchery to please their deadened senses. While they are as seductive as they are deadly, they are relatively few in number, for few are they who are able to commit to such a level of debasement. They are rarely seen outside the highest levels of the Revel, where most cannot tread and live. There are whispers, that they recruit from the ranks of highest society, egging on the cruelties of the idle rich and pushing events in directions that will breed debauchery and the degradation of society, so that the Peacock can more easily spread.
Relationships
- The Architeuthian: Although the Peacock himself has no quarrel with the Squid, the Honest and his Choirmen often assail the Aquarium in the hopes of stealing away the Long within to the "true path" of the Upstart. The recent alliance between the remnants of the Maker's cult and the Peacock have only made these attacks more frequent, as they yearn to steal the Anchors that dwell inside the Architeuthian's domain.
- The Anaconda: Although the Anaconda is responsible for the imprisonment of the Peacock, the Ways always seem to allow his servants to deliver messages to the Crone.
- Snake Tail with Appendages: The Peacock feels a strange sort of kinship with the Wrong-Serpent as a fellow nowhere who also doesn't entirely understand the nature of the world they now find themselves in. The two Nowheres have cooperated in the past, most notably during both the War of the Doors and the raising of the Golden King to the House of the Serpent. After the failure of the latter endeavor however, the feelings of the Snake-Tail towards the Peacock are unknown.
- The Engine of Cycles: The Peacock feels a strange sort of jealousy towards the Engine for managing to consume one of the Histories, something the Peacock himself eventually plans to do. While his understanding of death was greatly skewed by his troubled creation, the bird understands enough to recognize disassembly and dissolution in the Engine as an existential threat, and stands with the other Hours in opposition to it. As the Engine is a partial prisoner of the Gilded Gate itself, the minions of the Peacock often ambush the servants of the Machine that dare to try to travel the Upper House, forcing the Engineer to travel to the Array by means of flying machine.
- Old Tarnished: In cooperation with other Keys, the Peacock influenced the Third History in the guise of the "Great Feathered Wyrm". Following Cortes' emancipation from Spain, he was among the first Hours to suggest aiding the fledgling nation, sensing the potential for a powerful ally in the upstart conqueror. However, after the Cuckoo convinced the Golden King the Peacock was the one behind his imprisonment in the Golden City, their relationship is currently one of hostility as both parties fight for control of the corner of the Mansus behind the Gilded Gate.
- The Spark: The Peacock's relationship with the Star is one of one-sided affection. Both Hours enjoy giving mortals inspiration with the goal of helping them improve themselves. The Spark for his part is utterly disgusted by the Broken-Bird, both for the shameful circumstances of his creation as well as the toxic, self-destructive nature of his "guidance" to mortals. The Spark occasionally watches over the Peacock's prison, guiding innocent lost travelers away from his dangerous presence.
- The Cuckoo:The Peacock's "mother".
- The Silver Owl: The relationship of the Peacock and the Owl can be called one of mutual indifference. The Silver Owl's ways are enigmatic and don't cross the interests of the Peacock, and so they're largely content to stay out of each other's way. They cooperated briefly during The Second History to breach the Hall of Silence, but after the invasion ended in disaster they haven't cooperated since.
- The Watcher in the Window:FNORD mah boi
- The Elder Sister:
- The Apple-of-the-Eye: The Peacock and the Apple-of-the-Eye share a complicated relationship. The Peacock was formerly an a target of the Peacock's Long-Poachers, but due to the Apple's similarly beguiling beauty these efforts were rarely if ever successful. The Apple and the Peacock now find themselves uneasy partners in patronizing the Assemblage. The Apple houses the majority of the Maker and Anvil's Long in the Glassgarden, but Peacock holds in his wings St. Darwin, the organization's beloved founder and leader. The Choirmen carry Darwin's orders throughout the House, and the Apple ensures their forces survive.
- The Rider: An enigmatic Hour of unclear motives. A fascinating mystery the Peacock would love to have all to himself.
- The Elder Sister: there was something written here but Essie stole it :3
- The Bright-Delver: The Delver competes with this Hour to teach the Mendicant how to be a proper Hour. She holds no grudge against the Peacock, but does wish he wouldn't be so gruesome.
- The Harvester: If the Peacock recognizes the Harvester as an Hour separated from the Engine, his actions give no indication of it. When it ventures into the domain of the Peacock, the Harvester and it's minions receive the same uncharacteristically chilly reception as the Engine from the Broken-Bird's flock.
- The Ferryman: The Hour of Finality is no stranger to the Peacock. After the failed attempt to steal the Dead, the Peacock like the other birds is a bitter enemy of the Ferryman, who weaves webs across the surface of the House in an effort to capture his flying Long
- The Insidious: A dear younger brother. The Peacock is pleased greatly when it deigns to visit the Revel Unending, even if it has a partnership with the Spider.
- The Snow-Stained: The Snow-Stained, being the actual Best Hour, is beloved by the Peacock, who is definitely inferior to it. This is a true fact, and not at all wiki vandalism. Trust me.
- The Fanged Bramble: The Peacock is fond of the Bramble, if only out of appreciation of its ravenous appetite. Regardless, the Honest Lyrebird is one of the Names that works to guide Mansus travelers and dreamers safely around the Bramble, if only to gain their gratitude and trust. All the easier to turn them to the side of the Grail.
- The Aged Bones: An occupant of the Aquarium, a great many times has she be roused from her sleep by the Choirmen smashing themselves on the building's glass surface in an effort to invade.
- The Mendicant Without: An enigmatic sibling. The Mendicant shares many themes with the Peacock, but possesses differing motives behind them. Where the Mendicant drinks to forget or to fill the void, the Peacock indulges himself for the joy of it. Although she will not voice it aloud, the Lady in Red is not particularly fond of this Hour, seeing it as a rival to her dominion over those who fall into the downward spiral of addiction.
- The Void-In-Skins: Peacock views the Scythe of Dust as more of a mischievous sibling than a threat to his campaign to reclaim the Upper House, even as it occasionally devours his Long as voraciously as the Golden King cuts them down. Even so, there exists some level of mutual understanding between them, in their mutual desire to devour the House in each their own way. The Peacock would much rather have the House continue to exist albeit under his total control however, and therefore will not allow the Scythe to get the upper hand over the Golden King, perpetuating the conflict that exists between the three of them.
The Maker: A old rival. The Peacock and the other Gilded Gate Hours once waged war upon each other for the Upper Mansus and were considered rivals. After the Hour's untimely death however the Peacock quickly stole a large portion of the Maker's art and surviving Long from the Gallery before it was swallowed by the desert. Demonstrating how at heart he is ultimately motivated by some twisted sense of compassion, the Upstart has since pledged his support to the Assemblage's effort to revive the old god. Perhaps he will gain a powerful ally if the Maker returns... or at least he will be able to gather its remaining Forge power to himself. The Unmirror: A seat/mirror is prepared for it at the Peacock's dinner table, and he occasionally talks to his reflection as if it's listening to him. Is it really there or is he just playing stupid? Both? Both the Unmirror and its sibling are certainly among the more eccentric Hours.