PUBLIC INHABITANT RECORD
RESIDENT DOSSIER / The Middle Distances · western tidal coast
Whittlejaw
Whittlejaw checks West Lamp Quay's ropes, cleats and fastening points before shifting traffic puts them under strain.
- Known location
- West Lamp Quay
- World relationship
- LIVES IN
- Role or occupation
- Mooring-line and fastening inspector
PUBLIC CHARACTER RECORD
What is known
Whittlejaw inspects mooring lines, cleats and fastening points at West Lamp Quay before shifting water and foot traffic put them under strain. Watchful and cautious, the compact inspector notices small changes in tension and footing and prefers a secure fastening to a hurried promise. The work requires patience and careful purchase, not assumptions about where Whittlejaw came from.
KNOWN WORLD LOCATION
West Lamp Quay
LIVES INNEARBY ON THE CURRENT SURVEY
The district does not end at this record.
These are geographic neighbours, not implied friends or allies.
Tangle StepsThornsiltThornsilt clears roots, reeds and drift from the floodways around Tangle Steps.
Floodgate LandingMarshal NacreMarshal Nacre checks cargo and canal access at Floodgate Landing in Cleftwater Steps.
Floodgate LandingTallowTallow carries bundles through Cleftwater Steps during the hours when streets become canals.
ARCHIVE EVIDENCE / FIRST RECORDED SIGHTING
Before the record, there was a drawing.
This is the original hand-made source from which Whittlejaw entered the Living Atlas. It is preserved unchanged and shown beside—not beneath—the approved interpretation.
- Creator
- Björgvin
- Evidence class
- Original drawing
- Archive state
- Public provenance record
Original line retained. Corrections belong to the hand that made them.
CHARACTER STUDY
One inhabitant, seen from several directions.
A closer look at the details of this inhabitant.
COMPLETE PHYSICAL & CHARACTER RECORDOpen the detailed archive file
PHYSICAL RECORD
A presence before an explanation
- Silhouette
- Top-heavy and shield-fronted: a huge horizontal head-plate, narrow plated middle, then a grounded flare of gripping feet. The figure feels like it occupies more width than height.
- Scale
- Reads as short to medium compared with a human. The head plate is disproportionately broad, the torso lean and compressed, and the lower body ends in oversized spread feet that create a stable base. The arms are slight but terminate in noticeable pincer weight.
- Material
- Muted mauve and bruise-plum shell across the crown and pincers, with paler facial plates, smoky soft tissue in the joints, and faint sea-mottling along the side appendages; surfaces are smooth but lightly scuffed, like a creature that wedges itself into rough places.
- Colour
- #7A4D5E, #B77C8E, #D8C7BE, #2A2630, #8C9A8A
OCCUPATION & CHARACTER
Mooring-line and fastening inspector
It appears hard-shelled and prickly, yet much of its behaviour suggests a creature organized around protecting a very delicate sensory world.
WANTS
- stable footing in unfamiliar situations
- to approach others at its own pace
- to keep its vulnerable face and underside from being too exposed
FEARS
- being grabbed or flipped into helplessness
- loud abrupt disturbance at close range
- having its feelers or pincer-tips damaged
HABITS
- holding the body very still while the feelers do the assessing
- angling slightly rather than facing head-on at first
- tucking the smaller side appendages tighter when uneasy
- communicating mood through eye focus, jaw fringe tension, and pincer set more than broad posture
SOURCE ANCHORS
- The oversized, puzzle-edged crown/head plate spreading much wider than the body
- The long central snout with large black almond eyes set deep on either side
- The lateral whisker-like feelers projecting from the cheeks
- The fringe of sharp, dangling mouthparts/teeth beneath the snout
- The splayed root-like feet and tucked hooked side limbs along the torso