With such a case, a Clockmaker could answer a call to the far end of the Fieldlands. Of course, this equipment would not serve for a serious descent, but it was quite sufficient to scout the shallow floods. There was no sense in concealing so ordinary an object in a hiding place. Except that everything inside it—the bowl, the psalter, the expedition mask, the bit, and the thimbles—had once belonged to dead Clockmakers, friends of Lefty’s, and possessed a special value. Each little thing had been tempered by depths to which no one now had the strength to descend. Except Lefty, of course. But he too had sworn a threefold vow: never again…
An expedition bracelet is a device for collecting time-dew. It strains the dew from the acid-diver’s blood.
Time-dew is a valuable chemical essence found in the caches of the Cursed Field. It is used to make expanders.
Blood salt forms at the utmost depths of the Cursed Field. It contains the Images and Shadows of lives swallowed by the Field and is the most valuable chemical essence.
An acid bit is used when descending into the Void, and also to undo Field distortions.
The Spider’s Kiss mask is dedicated to the tale of Tsarevich Volga and the goddess Ogneshka. Near the end of her ninth life, the goddess fell in love with the young tsarevich. He did not return her love. She abducted him to her chamber at the crown of the shrike-tree, but he had hidden Lukino, a venomous spider, in his mouth. During their kiss the spider bit the goddess’s tongue, cutting short her final life.
The ‘Mouth of Viy’ bowl is an antique priestly vessel of pure silver, intended for burning small offerings. Clockmakers use these bowls to separate dew.
A thimble is a device with a delayed trigger mechanism. The tip of its striker is made from a shard of bog iron. Even the slightest wound inflicted by bog iron causes unbearable pain, which, in combination with other acid devices, brings about the acid-diver’s transformation.
