Ember hanging in Pandarve's Breath
Pandarve's Breath is a white vapour coming from the inside of the living planet Pandarve. It has healing powers and can be found on the islands known as the Ribs of Pandarve.
Function[]
The shaman lowering Ember into Pandarve's Breath.
Pandarve's Breath is used to heal people who have fallen prey to the intoxicating effect of the waters around the "Ribs of Pandarve". As this sea is close to the 'living sewer' known as the Gullet, waste products of this giant earthworm aren't diluted enough. Therefore it's not advisable for humans to swim in these waters, although lots of fish can be found here, and thus many fishermen can be found fishing on this sea as well. A short swim isn't yet harmful, but people who can't swim or fall into the sea for any reason and stay below water for a long time will fall into a kind of drugged state, risking internal drowning.
The Shaman of the Ribs watches over Pandarve's Breath and the patients that are cured by it. As the vapour comes out of a pit, people who need to be cured are tied to a crane, hidden in a totem pole, after which their legs are lowered into the pit. When Ember had to be cured, the fisherman who brought her to the shaman foretold it would take a few days for her to wake up. There's however probably no standard time for the cure, most likely this depends on the time during which a body has been exposed to the drugging effect of the water.
It may be noted that this is the only possibility to be on the Ribs of Pandarve without being tattooed. As it is a holy duty for the people of the Ribs to save someone's life, people who do not live on the Ribs and are in need of Pandarve's Breath to cure them, will not be tattooed until after they are cured. Tattooing them beforehand will of course take a lot of time in which the patient can die. However, Ember is abducted by the Rebellion just a few seconds before she wakes up, making her one of the few persons who has ever been on the Ribs without being tattooed at all. One may also note that it's rather ironic that in a place where nudity is a crime, a healing method is used that requires a lot of skin exposure.
Trivia[]
- In the first German translation, "Die Höllehunde von Marduk", Pandarve's Breath was never mentioned. Ember was simply left behind while the Shaman stated that Pandarve herself would heal her. Why Ember needed to be hanging in the pit for this was never explained. This error was fixed in the later translation "Die Hunde von Marduk".
- As there's an atmosphere between the planets in Pandarve's universe, there's also wind in space. At the end The Seven of Aromater, a reference to this wind is made as the "Breath of Pandarve". This wind has nothing to do with the healing vapour "Pandarve's Breath", though.