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== History ==
The Mendicant fled Nowhere long ago, seeking to satiate a hunger it did not yet understand. It beseeched the Hours of the Mansus to be allowed within, and its request was granted, but for a price that meant nothing to it. The Mansus Hours came to regret their decision in time, and it was cast out for reasons which did not make any sense to it. It mourns its loss to this day, as it craves what it never had to lose in the first place. It fears [[the Wood]], and the wilder Hours that reside within, and dares not leave the Gates, should they ever open for it again.
=== Appearance ===
The Mendicant could almost be mistaken for human at first glance, before its anomalous conjunction of limbs, flesh and bone becomes apparent. It shuffles along the outskirts of the Mansus, dressed in ragged clothing, a pitiable thing stripped of much of its former glory. Yet should one speak to it, the improper angles and dissembling shapes resolve into a being of incommensurate beauty, one which lingers in the mind as an impression but never a memory.
=== Principles ===
It can be difficult for the uninitiated to understand what the Mendicant desires; indeed, it was and remains difficult for many of the other Hours. It may be that the Mendicant itself does not know, but yearns for it nonetheless. It can be as beguiling as it wishes, whispering words of velvet to those who would listen, only for it to change its mind by the next sentence. It is commonly understood that it desires pleasure, at any cost, but possesses only notional knowledge of what it entails. Its followers quickly find themselves seeking ever greater extreme thrills, always finding satisfaction in the short-term, but unable to quench their desire for more. All agree that it can be very persuasive, at least until one realizes that its words are empty. Many also affirm that it is the most beautiful Hour, though none can ever say why.
==Locations = Location ==== The Mansus ===
Near the edges of the Mansus, particularly its Gates. As a result of its reduced status, it is one of the more accessible Hours, often delighting in conversing with mortals, who rarely remember its words.
== Relationships = The Histories ===* [[The Architeuthian]]:* [[The Anaconda]]: After the Mendicant disobeyed the Great Serpent's decree, breaking the truce within the Fourth History, the Anaconda was the Hour which exiled the Mendicant from the Fansus. Only the Delver's interference prevented the Anaconda from slaying the Mendicant on the spot; if the Delver was to be harmed by the Mendicant, that safety would surely be nullified.* [[Snake Tail with Appendages]]:* [[The Engine of Cycles]]:* [[The Peacock]]:* [[Old Tarnished]]:* [[The Spark]]:* [[The Cuckoo]]:* [[The Silver Owl]]:* [[The Watcher in the Window]]:* [[The Elder Sister]]: The Witch-of-the-Woods sees in the Mendicant the same intriguing qualities that give her a fondness for humans. She would love to invite it into her Court, and never allow it to leave.* [[The Apple-of-the-Eye]]: Once permitted to the topmost parts of the House, now loathed and exiled for an unknown slight. Never again will the Apple permit him.* [[SWOUP]]:* [[The Archivist]]:* [[The Bright-Delver]]: The Delver interceded on the Mendicant's behalf to prevent its death by Anaconda, and is doing her best to teach it how to be a proper Hour.* [[The Harvester]]:* [[[ ]]]:* [[The Insidious]]:* [[The Snow-Stained]]: The Bully's Stick has no strong feelings about the Mendicant one way or another, but as in all things, it finds the separation of walls dissatisfying. It has attempted in the past to create a hole through which the Mendicant could pass, and will likely do so again in the future.* [[The Fanged Bramble]]:* [[The Aged Bones]]:
== Items ==
=== Rites ===
== Relationships ==
* [[The Anaconda]]: After the Mendicant disobeyed the Great Serpent's decree, breaking the truce within the Fourth History, the Anaconda was the Hour which exiled the Mendicant from the Fansus. Only the Delver's interference prevented the Anaconda from slaying the Mendicant on the spot; if the Delver was to be harmed by the Mendicant, that safety would surely be nullified.
* [[The Elder Sister]]: The Witch-of-the-Woods sees in the Mendicant the same intriguing qualities that give her a fondness for humans. She would love to invite it into her Court, and never allow it to leave.
* [[The Apple-of-the-Eye]]: Once permitted to the topmost parts of the House, now loathed and exiled for an unknown slight. Never again will the Apple permit him.
* [[The Bright-Delver]]: The Delver interceded on the Mendicant's behalf to prevent its death by Anaconda, and is doing her best to teach it how to be a proper Hour.
* [[The Insidious]]: The Insidious is on good terms with the Mendicant, having formed a secret alliance with it for mutual protection against some of the older, more established Hours.
* [[The Snow-Stained]]: The Bully's Stick has no strong feelings about the Mendicant one way or another, but as in all things, it finds the separation of walls dissatisfying. It has attempted in the past to create a hole through which the Mendicant could pass, and will likely do so again in the future.
* [[The Fanged Bramble]]: The Mendicant fears this Hour greatly, as it is the primary reason why it never dares enter the Wood.
* [[The Aged Bones]]: The Mendicant Without has been witnessed wandering by the Aged Bones' stained glass windows, where they occasionally hold a brief conversation. Sometimes the Aged Bones passes on secrets that she allows the Mendicant to spread among its followers.
== See Also ==
